Iran calls for extending Herat railway to Uzbekistan border

Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzana Sadeq, has called for extending Afghanistan’s railway network from Herat to the Termez border area in Uzbekistan to strengthen regional trade and transport links.

Farzana made the proposal during a specialised meeting on the Trans-Afghan Corridor in Astana, Kazakhstan, saying Iran is exploring ways to expand railway connectivity with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

She said the proposed route could create new opportunities for freight transportation and improve regional countries’ access to open waters. She added that the railway connection should eventually link with the wider railway networks of Central Asia and China.

The Iranian minister also proposed that countries along the Iran–Afghanistan–Tajikistan–Kyrgyzstan–China corridor hold a meeting under the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to identify practical mechanisms for implementing the plan.

Referring to the Chabahar transit agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and India, Farzana said the port has the potential to facilitate the movement of goods from Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to international markets.

She also identified potential railway connections linking Afghanistan with Türkiye and Europe through Sarakhs and Razi, as well as access to the Caucasus and the Black Sea through Sarakhs and Jolfa, as projects worth pursuing within the regional transport network.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works said the country has significant potential to serve as a regional connectivity hub. The ministry said Afghanistan welcomes investment from all countries, including Iran, in railway development and transit infrastructure and is ready to cooperate on such projects.

Transport ministers from Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, along with the head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s railway authority, attended the Trans-Afghan Corridor meeting in Astana.