Herat-Khaf Railway: A Gateway to Economic Growth for Afghanistan

From freight to passenger traffic, transportation plays a fundamental role in the development of a nation. This is the reason why special importance is given to this sector all over the world and with the passage of time new projects are created to bring innovation in it. Afghanistan, an important country in Asia, has been deprived of the adequate infrastructure for fast development due to being in a state of war for the past several decades.

The first project to introduce a rail system in Afghanistan was started between Mazar-e-Sharif and the border city of Heratan in Balkh province with the support of the Asian Development Bank. An amount of $165 Million was provided for this project. According to the bank, the rail system will help to remove the obstacles in the way of goods delivery in Afghanistan, which consists of mountainous regions. This railway line was inaugurated in late 2011, which was later connected to Turkmenistan.

This railway system is not only expanding within the country but also progressing to connect it with other countries in the region and the world, which is expected to significantly improve the economy of Afghanistan. This project starts from Khaf County in the south of the historical city of Mashhad in north-eastern Iran and continues to the city of Herat in Afghanistan. The purpose of this railway line is not only for the transportation of goods, but this 225 Km Long Route will also be a passage for passenger trains.

The first two sections of this important project were started in Iran in 2007, while its construction in Afghanistan started in 2016. This railway is being constructed in 4 sections, out of which 2 will be in Iran, i.e from the city of Khaf to the border in Khorasan Razavi province, and the remaining 2 sections in Afghanistan. The first three sections of this project spanning a combined length of 140 Km from Khaf in Iran to Rozanak in Afghanistan was inaugurated in December 2020, while the fourth section from Rozanak to Herat Industrial Town is still under construction, which is expected to be completed by 2025. This industrial town in Guzara district is one of the largest economic zones in Afghanistan, where more than 300 Industries are currently active. Some of the raw materials for this industrial area are imported from Iran.

In total, the 78 Km long section of Herat-Khaf railway line will be completed in Iran, while the remaining 147 Km long section will be completed in Afghanistan. The overall investment in the construction of the first three sections of the Khaf-Herat railway was $665 million. A test freight train transported 500 Tons of cement between Khaf railway station in Iran and Rozanak station in Afghanistan. Although the initial objective of the project is to facilitate the export of Iranian goods to Afghanistan, it also completes the 2,000 Km Long Rail Corridor, which stretches from China to Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Europe.

Thanks to this corridor, cheap and safe transportation facility will be available for mutual economic activities of 5 countries of East Asia and to Europe. The importance of starting this rail network for the people of Afghanistan is that this project connects a landlocked country like Afghanistan to the open waters of the world in the southern ports of Iran to Europe from a safe route.

The Herat-Khaf railway is supposed to transport more than 6 Million Tons of goods and provide travel facilities to 1 Million People annually. This project will not only strengthen trade relations between Afghanistan and Iran, but will also be of special importance for other countries in the region. It will improve passenger transportation as well as export and import of goods between the two countries. It will also improve Iran’s strategic position in regional exports and is of strategic importance for Afghanistan as it links the country to Europe. This railway project will also help in reducing shipping costs, border traffic and encourage the transportation of passenger and goods across the region. It will further enhance political, cultural, and economic relations between Iran and Afghanistan.

Trade between Herat and Khaf will transform Herat into a major commercial hub and the 5 Nation Rail Corridor Project will make the Herat region a gateway for inter-connection between Iran and Central Asian states.

Goods manufactured in Afghanistan will be exported to Europe through Herat-Khaf railway, while connecting northern Afghanistan from Herat by railway will improve the economic situation of the entire region.

With the expansion of the railway line, Herat will become a central station for the movement of goods to Europe, Persian Gulf and the countries of Indian Ocean.

Construction of a large portion of the Herat-Khaf railway line was completed under the previous Afghan government, but progress on the project was halted after the Taliban came to power. However, after some time the construction work was restored and completed.

This railway project is not only of special importance for the supply of goods and passenger transportation at the domestic level, but it is also a very special project to connect Afghanistan to the open seas and even provide it with access to European countries through Iran.
On the other hand, the Herat-Khaf rail project is very important for Iran in terms of cargo transportation and exports to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

For the Herat-Khaf railway, the more favorable news is that the Trans-Afghan railway line between Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan has also been agreed upon, under which the city of Termiz in Uzbekistan will be connected to Peshawar in Pakistan by a railway line through Afghanistan.

The construction cost of the Termiz, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul, Peshawar railway line project has been estimated at $5 Billion. This 600 Km Long Railway Line will provide access to Central Asian states to the main ports of Pakistan, which will play an important and positive role in trade and mutual relations in the region.

The Herat-Khaf railway line project is actually an important part of the $2 Billion FNRC, i.e. the Five National Railway Corridor. The proposed project will be built in China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran and will be connected to Turkey.

This project will not only connect all these countries with each other but also with Europe. This railway route is a part of the international East-West Corridor which will play an important role in reducing the export cost of Chinese goods to Europe.

According to economic experts, Afghanistan needs at least 2,440 Km long railway for economic activities and initially the cost of construction of the 1,290 Km has been estimated at $2.255 Billion.

The transportation of goods to Central Asian countries and Europe through this railway line connecting Afghanistan and Iran will increase income and economic development of Afghanistan. This railway line will pass through various economic zones of the region, thanks to which the products manufactured in these industrial zones will be easily transported to other parts of the region.

This facility will contribute to the development of Afghanistan’s industrial areas and will also help in providing employment opportunities. The Herat-Khaf railway line will provide Afghanistan with access to Iran’s northern ports, particularly Bandar Abbas and Bandar Chabahar. These linkages will allow goods and products manufactured in Afghanistan to be exported to the global market.

The use of railways for the transportation of goods reduces the cost of delivery and improves transit and trade activities. Afghanistan plays a key role in the international projects of the East-West railway line. Among these projects, the thermal railway line between Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and Peshawar is particularly noteworthy, which will be helpful for the economic development of the region and the improvement of trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This international project will also facilitate access to underdeveloped and deprived areas, allowing people of these areas to take advantage of resources and economic opportunities.

Apart from this, the project will also open up possibilities in communication and cooperation between the neighboring countries. From Iran’s point of view, this plan is an important part of Iran’s strategy for Afghanistan, as Iran wants to provide better job opportunities and reduce poverty in western Afghanistan, in order to reduce the influx of immigrants.

Transportation projects such as Herat-Khaf Railway and Chabahar-Zahedan-Mashhad Railway will play a key role in economic development in the eastern provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan, South Khorasan and Kerman.

In general, the Herat-Khaf railway project is a very large and strategic project, which will have a significant impact on the economic and commercial development of Afghanistan and the region.