Kabul: The Ministry of Public Works under the Taliban administration has announced the extension of the quadrilateral railway corridor agreement between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China for one year. The agreement was signed during the visit of the deputy minister for railways to Uzbekistan.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, Mohammad Ashraf Haqshinas, the railway corridor facilitated the transport of 4,200 containers between Afghanistan and China in 2024. In a statement posted on social media on January 25, Haqshinas noted that the corridor, established in 2022, connects China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to Afghanistan through the Hairat Mazar-e-Sharif railway line. The renewal of the agreement is expected to significantly increase freight transport along this route.
Previously, the ministry reported on December 27 that the first shipment of 1,000 tons of transit goods from China had arrived in Afghanistan’s Herat province via Iran. The goods, which included steel coils, were transported from China to Iran’s Abbas port and then delivered to Herat’s Rozanak railway station through Iran’s railway network.
Similarly, earlier shipments from China reached Afghanistan via the Hairat port in Balkh province. On November 23, the Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced the arrival of the first freight shipment from China to Balkh through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The shipment, consisting of 55 containers, reached Mazar-e-Sharif within 22 days.
Nuruddin Azizi, the Taliban’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, emphasized the importance of the railway network in facilitating bilateral trade. He stated that Afghan goods would also be exported to China via this network.
Currently, Afghanistan has 135 kilometers of railway lines, connecting the country to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran for freight transport. The expansion of Afghanistan’s railway infrastructure and its integration with regional networks began under the previous republic government and has continued under the Taliban administration.
Notably, the Herat-Khaf railway project aims to connect Herat International Airport with Iran’s railway network. The final segment of the project is under construction, signaling further progress in Afghanistan’s regional connectivity ambitions.
