Uzbekistan pushes forward with Trans-Afghan railway project

Uzbekistan has addressed major organizational matters related to the Trans-Afghan railway project, with work now focused on preparing its feasibility study, according to Trend citing the Uzbek Ministry of Transport.

The country is also continuing construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as part of broader efforts to strengthen its transit and connectivity capacity.

In international road transport, Uzbekistan has rolled out an electronic permit (E-permit) system in cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan, aimed at simplifying cross-border transport procedures and improving logistics efficiency.

Furthermore, 24 transport and logistics facilities nationwide have been designated as international dry ports, reinforcing Uzbekistan’s role as a regional transport and logistics hub.

Earlier in July, the first meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan was held in Kabul, where a framework intergovernmental agreement was signed. This agreement laid the foundation for conducting a feasibility study of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Trans-Afghan Railway.

Under the trilateral plan, the proposed 573-kilometer rail line will link Termez in Uzbekistan to Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, before extending to Kharlachi in Pakistan. Once operational, the railway is expected to transport up to 20 million tonnes of cargo annually, substantially lowering transport costs and shortening transit times.