Jabbar Ali Zakari, Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, announced that the participation of Iranian companies in the Herat–Mazar-e-Sharif railway project will proceed within the framework of agreements reached between the two sides. He did not disclose further details regarding the value of the contracts, the names of the companies involved, or the project’s full implementation timeline.
At the same time, Mostafa Rezaei, Head of the Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium, announced the launch of the project’s first phase and provided additional details on its technical and financial aspects. According to him, the first phase will cover approximately 100 kilometers, extending from Rozanak to Kushk District in Herat Province.
Speaking to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, Rezaei said that Iran has completed feasibility and engineering studies for the approximately 650-kilometer Herat–Mazar-e-Sharif railway. The project has now entered the stage of consolidating the studies and redesigning the main route.
According to the head of the Afghanistan Railway Development Consortium, Iran will be responsible for the project’s design, construction, and overall implementation management, while the estimated $2 billion construction cost will be financed by Afghanistan.
Under the proposed plan, the railway corridor consists of three sections: the Khaf–Herat segment, which has already been completed by Iran; the Herat–Mazar-e-Sharif section, which will be built in cooperation with Iran; and the Mazar-e-Sharif–Wakhan segment, which will be constructed by China.
Rezaei also announced the signing of cooperation agreements on the development of railway infrastructure and the mining sector, stating that the initial objective is to transport 2 million metric tons of cargo annually through rail links connecting Iran and Afghanistan.
Once completed, the Herat–Mazar-e-Sharif railway will connect Afghanistan’s western and northern regions, strengthening the country’s role as a regional transit hub. Previously, the Khaf–Herat railway the first direct rail connection between Iran and Afghanistan provided Afghanistan with access to Iran’s railway network and the country’s southern seaports.
Although the Taliban administration has identified the development of infrastructure and transit corridors as one of its key economic priorities, comprehensive details regarding the project’s financing sources, implementation contracts, and final completion schedule have yet to be made public.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
