The Trans-Afghan Railway Route
By Sophia Nina B-A
Background
The Trans-Afghan Railway project was initiated by Uzbekistan in December 2018, and seeks to establish a direct railway link from Uzbekistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan, ultimately providing Central Asian countries access to the Indian Ocean via Pakistani ports of Karachi, Gwadar, and Qasim. This railway line plans to be built with the Russian gauge 1,520 mm.
The Trans-Afghan Railway Route
Termez (Uzbekistan)
Hairaton (Uzbekistan)
Naibabad (Afghanistan)
Mazar Sharif (Afghanistan)
Aybak (Afghanistan)
Pul-e-Khumri (Afghanistan)
Doshi (Afghanistan)
Shash-Pul (Afghanistan)
Maidan Shahr (Afghanistan) - and short extension potentially to Shash-Pul where the Hajigak Iron Ore mine is located
Pul-e-alam (Afghanistan)
Gardez (Afghanistan)
Kharlachi border crossing (Pakistan)
Peshawar (Pakistan) - connects with the Pakistan M-2 Railway network in Kohat
Rohri (Pakistan)
Haiderabad (Pakistan)
Karachi, Gwadar and Qasim (Pakistani seaports)
Stakeholders
Primary Stakeholders: Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan.
International Partners: Qatar (confirmed interest in February 2024), Russia (feasibility study support and design of railway, contribution with aim to integrate Trans-Afghan with with Russia’s North-South corridor in Iran and via Central Asia), Kazakhstan (supplying rolling stock and tracks).
Length and dates
573-750 kilometres. The start date proposed initially is 2025, but so far only feasibility work has begun. Target completion by 2027, with full operational capacity by 2030.
Cost
$4.95 billion - $7 billion
Impact
Offers alternative route for Central Asia to bypass Russia. Estimated to cut transport costs by up to 40%, and travel time between Uzbekistan and Pakistan from 35 days to 3 to 5 days. Planned to transport up to 20 million tons of cargo annually.
Strategic Extensions
The Trans-Afghan Railway will connect with other regional transport corridors including:
The China-Uzbekistan-Kygryzstan Railway (CKU)
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative)
The Belarus - Russia - Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan corridor (The Russia backed North-South Corridor)
The Khaf (Iran) and Herat (Afghanistan) railway project
Turgundi (Turkmenistan)–Herat (Afghanistan) Kandahar(Afghanistan)–Spin Boldak (near the Afghanistan/Pakistan crossing )railway line project proposed and currently under negotiation - led by Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. In April 2025, Afghan media outlets quoted that Kazakhstan plans to invest $500 million in developing this railway line.
Challenges
Finance: No financial backing yet. Uzbekistan expressed hopes China would provide some financing. Russia has been discussing financing options. Also discussions with international development banks.
Security uncertain: Afghanistan security uncertain with different Taliban controlled areas and ISKP.
Management issues: Conflicts over the management of the Afghan section of the railway has emerged and frequent border skirmishes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Construction difficulties: Different gauges at border crossings with the Russian broad gauge (1,520 mm) used by Uzbekistan to the gauge used in Pakistan (1,676 mm), necessitating adjustments at the border/break of gauge infrastructure; and Pakistan’s railway infrastructure is outdated and requires upgrading so full capacity of the rail project can be met; need to build an efficient electricity transmission system to support signalling and digital systems for the rail line and for potential electrification.