The Turkmen delegation headed by Chairman of the Turkmendemiryollary Agency (Turkmen Railways) Azat Atamuradov held talks with Deputy Minister of of Public Works for Railway transport of Afghanistan Bakhtur Rahman Sharaft in Kabul, the Ministry of Public Works of Afghanistan reported.
The two-day meeting involved detailed discussions between the delegations of both countries aimed at further developing bilateral railway cooperation.
On the first day of the meeting, both sides discussed the expansion of the Torghundi station and the extension of the Torghundi-Herat railway line, with the initial 22-kilometer section reaching as far as Sanobar.
The Turkmen delegation expressed interest in investing in the railway infrastructure of Afghanistan and declared its readiness to invest in the expansion of the Torghundi station and the construction of the first section of the Torghundi-Herat railway line. It was stated that the investment is planned to be recouped through income from the operation of the line.
The construction of these facilities will increase the volume of freight and transit traffic between the two countries and create additional benefits for the private sector in the field of transport, the Afghan ministry said.
After the signing of the contract and agreement, construction work is scheduled to begin on the first of September of the current year.
According to a press release, the Deputy Minister noted that before the start of work, the ministry will transfer to the Turkmen side the project of the Torghundi-Herat railway line, according to which construction work will be carried out.
At the end of the first day of the meeting, in addition to the discussed topics, both sides also discussed the preparation of training programs for railway workers, the establishment of joint working groups to advance the work, and the five-nation corridor of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye.
The Torghundi-Herat line will become part of the new Torghundi–Herat – Kandahar – Spin-Buldak railway, which will run from the western border of Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and further to India. The construction of the highway was discussed recently in Aktau at a trilateral meeting of representatives of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
“Torghundi – Herat is not only the construction of a railway, but also the further development of freight traffic, attracting cargo in this direction. With the participation of the Kazakh side, we can significantly increase the attractiveness of this corridor,” Mammetkhan Chakyev, Director General of the Agency for Transport and Communications, said at the meeting. ///nCa, 1 August 2024