The Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Turkmenistan (TAT) railway corridor is expected to connect Balkh, Panj, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kerki.
Sputnik Tajikistan published a route map of the TAT railway corridor, citing data from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). The source added that just 50 kilometers of the road passing through Tajikistan could significantly change the economic situation in the region. The new transit route will become part of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor and will link Tajikistan with the markets of Afghanistan and Iran, as well as provide another access to global markets through Turkmenistan.
The railway sections span a total length of 650 kilometers, including 150 kilometers through Turkmenistan, 450 kilometers through Afghanistan, and 50 kilometers through Tajikistan. The new railway will have a track gauge of 1,520 mm.
The memorandum for the implementation of the TAT project was signed in the spring of 2013 by the presidents of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. The first phase of the Atamyrat-Imamnazar (Turkmenistan) – Aqina (Afghanistan) railway was launched at the end of 2016. However, the project's implementation was halted due to the tense situation in Afghanistan.
At the end of July 2024, the Tajik Ministry of Transport and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a protocol of negotiations to develop a feasibility study for the "Jaloliddin Balkhi-Nizhniy Panj" railway project to the border with Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Minister of Transport of Tajikistan, Azim Ibrohim, instructed the relevant agencies and institutions to organize a pilot railway train along the multimodal corridor China – Tajikistan – Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Turkey – Europe.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 19, 2024