Work on Khwaf-Herat railway to begin after Ramadan
The reconstruction on Khwaf-Herat railway will begin after Ramadan, the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA) said, adding that the transportation of commodities will be conducted via this railway.
The officials said that the railway needs some repairmen and that its technical and financial affairs have been completed.
“We are trying to repair the railway of Khwaf-Herat, which connects us to Iran, after Ramadan to boost up the rate of transportation, as it has been damaged,” said Bakh Rahman Sharafat, head of the ARA. The Chamber of Industry and Mines said that the railway will reduce the expense of transportation of commodities.
“The railway can reduce the cost of the transportation of commodities, and therefore factories can import raw materials cheaper from other countries to Afghanistan,” said Abdul Karim Azimi, head of the Chamber of Industry and Mines.
The length of the railway between Kabul and Peshawar is estimated to be around 573 km. The construction will cost $4.8 billion.
“This is a big project. Every country has its role in it. Every country will allocate funds for its construction. The technical affairs have yet to be finalized. A delegation will soon visit Uzbekistan to discuss the technical issues,” said Ahmad Wail Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance. “It was pledged that the project will begin in the spring of the coming year,” said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
“They (relevant countries) are seeking to connect Central Asia to South Asia via the railway crossing Afghanistan,” said Bakht Rahman Sharafat, deputy minister of public works. Some economists said that the connection between Central Asia and South Asia via Afghanistan would benefit the country.