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Construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway Project; Prospects and Way

Forward

Introduction:

In the endeavors of socioeconomic connectivity in the Eurasian region, many new countries have
pledged to take part. The Trans-Afghan railway is yet another step in this regard. As Afghanistan
stands at the crossroads of the broader Eurasian region, constructing a railway line between these
hugely profitable regions can be extremely beneficial. However, the tumultuous nature of this
region and decades of conflict here poses specific challenges that must be sorted out. The
economic future of millions of people hinges upon this project, therefore an attempt has been
made in the following lines to construe both its potential and the myriad issues associated with it.

Afghan Government's Eagerness for the Trans-Afghan Railway Project:

In early 2021, the Afghan, Pakistani, and the Uzbek governments gave their formal assent for the
road map to build the Trans-Afghan Railway Project. Although the current Afghan government
is working on many railway projects right now, yet no project comes closer to the efficacy and
potential of the Trans-Afghan Railway project that is under deliberation here. This project covers
an area of about 600 kilometers and has the potential to further expand beyond South Asia and
Middle East in the future.

Embodying the vision of long-lasting regional connectivity, the Trans-Afghan Railway project
can improve socioeconomic connectivity between Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and many other countries in the long run. With the re-
establishment of the mostly self-reliant Taliban government in Afghanistan, the economic
situation of Afghanistan has started to become better, which is a positive sign for this project.
The current Afghan government has started to enhance the involvement of relevant stakeholders
to gather necessary resources, support, and facilities.It is estimated that this project will take
almost $5 billion to complete.
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Regional Endeavors for Trans-Afghan Railway:

The transnational nature of this project demands that more and more countries should ascertain
their full support for this project. For this purpose, high-ranking officials from Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and Uzbekistan convened a meeting on July 17, 2023, in Islamabad after six years of
lengthy deliberations. It was proposed that a 573-kilometer-long railway line should be built by
2027 to connect Tashkent, Kabul, and Peshawar. It is estimated that this railway line will have
the annual capacity to transport up to $20 million tons of cargo by the year 2030.

To further make this project a reality, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to invest and
provide their expertise for the Trans-Afghan Railway on April 05, 2024. Representatives from
both countries have agreed to formulate a comprehensive framework, execute infrastructure
development plans, and enhance industrial collaboration in this project. Consequently,
Uzbekistan will transport its goods to Afghanistan and Pakistan within five days after the
completion of this project. Although it will take a little longer for Kazakhstan, yet both these
countries will connect with the Middle Eastern, European and the American markets in the long
run. It is estimated that by the end of 2030, the trade volume of both these countries with
Afghanistan and beyond will increase by many times due to this Trans-Afghan Railway project.

Qatar’s government has also pledged to provide economic support to this project owing to its
immense potential and ability to stretch the benefits of this trade route towards the Middle East.
Their involvement in this project will provide the much-needed economic, geopolitical, and
strategic stability owing to Qatar's positive role in the Middle East and the Eurasian region.

Potential of Regional Connectivity through Trans-Afghan Railway:

The governments of Afghanistan and people of Pakistan can also decrease their reliance on the
West with this project. Although this trade route's last stop in Pakistan will be Peshawar, subject
to future stability in the region, it can also go to India and Bangladesh in the long run , which can
increase trade volume between India, Pakistan and Afghanistan to up to $20 billion. While with
the CIS countries, the trade volume can increase up to $6 billion in the coming years. The same
can be said for Iran as well. Its government is trying its best to look east for its economic
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development. The broad magnitude of this project also ascertains that many other developing
countries in the Eurasian region, like the smaller Central Asian region, will also benefit from it.

The efficacy of the Trans-Afghan railway project has also gathered interest from the Russian
Federation. In May 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia affirmed that his government is in
talks with the current Afghan government for this important project. Russia can easily connect
with the warm sea ports in Pakistan and Afghanistan through the Central Asian countries. This
step can exponentially increase the capacity and trade volume of this project.

With other railway and transport projects with China underway, the Afghan government can
ascertain its involvement in the CPEC project as well, which can provide a great economic boast
to its economy and people. The Chinese government’s motto of providing development
opportunities to every country they work with is completely different from the policies of
imperialistic powers that have destroyed Afghanistan in the past. This railway project and other
economic ventures with the Chinese government are a golden opportunity for these people.

Challenges:

At the moment many important countries have not accepted the current Taliban government in
Afghanistan. Consequently, some governments are reluctant to fully involve themselves in this
project. To make sure that this railway project doesn’t end up stagnant like the Pak-Iran gas
pipeline project, there needs to be constant proactive diplomacy to legitimize this project.

The Afghan government needs to vigilantly protect its interests in this railway project. If its
funding for this project will not be enough, other countries can demand unevenly more stakes
and economic benefits from it. Moreover, Afghanistan’s difficult terrain and the topsy-turvy
security issues with Iran and Pakistan can also hamper it.

All the countries associated with this project, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, need to
update their respective railway systems to ascertain that maximum benefits can be reaped from
this railway project. Securing the regions surrounding these railway lines will also be
challenging.

Lastly, the Afghan transit trade project cannot reach its full potential unless the biggest
economies in this region can become its part, and provide the estimated $4.8 billion required to
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make it a reality . For this purpose, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and India must try to solve
their mutual problems for broader economic prosperity.

Recommendations:

 To utilize the Trans-Afghan railway project effectively, it is important to ascertain that

the best policymakers and technical experts from across the region can participate in it.
 Right now, it is imperative that the Afghan government, and the governments of
countries around it, should make sure that their petty political, ethnic, religious, and
geopolitical conflicts are not hampering their collective socioeconomic development as
many decades have been lost due to these conflicts
 The security situation of all the countries involved in this project should also be ideal.
Multilateral defense cooperation and geo-strategic cohesion are also important for
making long-term economic cooperation a reality.
 Lastly, The United Nations and other important international organizations should be
kept on board regarding all the aspects this project for its broader acceptability,
connectivity, and ultimate success.

Conclusion:

The Trans-Afghan railway project covers an enormous area and has the potential to manage trade
worth millions of dollars in the Eurasian region. However, the troublesome nature of
Afghanistan and its geopolitical issues can make its implementation difficult. To circumvent
these problems, it is imperative that broader regional dialogues, with the aim of fully including
Afghanistan in the regional socioeconomic setup, should be conducted. It is a fact that the
location of a country cannot be changed. Therefore Afghanistan and its regional allies need to
ascertain that each country in this region can become a useful part of its socioeconomic
economic development with understanding and respect for each other.
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REFERENCES

Burna-Asefi, Sophia Nina. “The Trans-Afghan Railway Line: Back on Track.” Accessed on
September 3, 2024. https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/the-trans-afghan-railway-line-back-
on-track/

Moscow Prepared To Engage In Afghan-Trans Railway Project, States Russian Official. Afghan
International. Accessed on September 1, 2024. https://www.afintl.com/en/202405192716

Qatar’s Critical Contribution to the Success of the Trans-Afghan Rail link. Accessed on
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success-of-the-trans-afghan-rail-link-191

Raza, Hassan. “Regional Connectivity – Trans Afghan Railway: Game Plan for Pakistan.”
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m09F5TqSP

Shakil, F.M. “Spoilers and stakeholders in the Trans-Afghan Railway Saga.” Accessed on
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The Trans-Afghan Railway Project: Connecting Nations. Accessed on September 1, 2024.

https://www.alemarahenglish.af/the-trans-afghan-railway-project-connecting-nations/

Trans-Afghan Corridor: Challenges and Prospects for Railway Route Construction. Accessed on
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prospects-for-railway-route-construction/

Trans-Afghan railway project expected to be completed by end of 2027: Uzbek Official. Ariana
News. Accesses on September 3, 2024. https://www.ariananews.af/trans-afghan-railway-
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