Afghanistan-Iran railway construction kicks off near Herat

[Firdousi]

Afghanistan-Iran railway construction kicks off near Herat
By KHAAMA PRESS - Thu Sep 08 2016, 9:38 pm
afghanistan-railway-with-iranThe construction of a railway line between Afghanistan and Iran officially kicked off near the western Herat province of Afghanistan on Wednesday.
According to the local officials, the construction work of the railway line in Afghanistan launched as 90 percent of the railway work inside the Iranian soil has been completed.
The railway line will be established from Iran to Ghoryan district and will further go towards Zindjan district and Herat Airport.
The latest development for the establishment of the railway line between Afghanistan and Iran comes as Afghanistan has been attempting to expand its regional transit reach.
Earlier this year the leaders of Afghanistan, India and Iran signed the Chabahr port agreement in Tehran, the capital city of Iran.
Afghanistan is expected to have sea-land access through the strategic Chabahar port in Iran by the end of this year as the work on the port already begun by a joint venture of Kandla Port Trust (KPT) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) last year.
Access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway can be made from Chabahar port using the existing Iranian road network and the Zaranj-Delaram road, constructed by India in 2009.
The port will be also used to ship crude oil and urea, saving India transportation costs. It will also cut transport costs and freight time for India to Central Asia and the Gulf by about a third.

[Firdousi]

Freight Train Arrives From China, Link Set To Boost Trade
Thursday, 08 September 2016 19:11
Last Updated on Thursday, 08 September 2016 20:01
Written by Zabihullah Jhanmal
Railway-08-2016
The first ever freight train from China arrived in Hairatan port in northern Balkh province this week after travelling 3,000 kms across China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Onboard was 45 containers full of goods, according to officials from the ministry of public works.

The ministry said trade between China and Afghanistan was critical and that the new rail link would expand trade between the two countries considerably.

Meanwhile, the ministry of commerce and industries said that transporting commodities via train will increase the import and export ties between the two countries.

This was the first time that a rail line has linked Afghanistan with China.

"This is good news for Afghan traders and it indicates that we do not have transportation problems with China anymore," said Abdul Hadi Rafie, the deputy of ministry of public works.

"Transportation of goods through a railway is much cheaper than road or air transportation. Thus, business commodities will arrive in Afghanistan sooner and cost less to get here," said Musafer Qoqandi, spokesman for the ministry of commerce and industries.

Meanwhile, Yao Jing, the ambassador of China to Afghanistan, said the railway line will play a vital role in transport and trade between the nations.

"This is a vital project which will expand the business between the two neighboring countries," Yao said.

Furthermore, officials from the chamber of commerce and industries said the transportation of commodities by rail will solve logistical problems that existed in the country for many years.

In addition, economic analysts believes that the railway link will increase the rate of import and export between the countries and that goods will be traded at a cheaper rate.

[Firdousi]

‘Real New Silk Road’ to turn Afghanistan into major regional transit hub
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Sep 10 2016, 1:30 pm

Optimisms are on the rise with the opening of the New Silk Road connecting China with the Eurasian landmass as two trains carrying dozens of containers bound for Afghanistan left China with the first consignment arriving in Hairatan port of Afghanistan earlier this month.
The initiative by China is considered is a major turnover in Afghanistan’s efforts to turn the country into a regional transit as it has been dubbed as Real New Silk Road following attempts by the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to start the operations of the road in 2011 but subsequently flopped before it even got started.
According to an article published in Forbes by the magazine’s contributor Wade Shepard China is making good on this ambition by integrating Afghanistan in with their Belt and Road initiative — a major part of what could be called the real New Silk Road.
At least 85 containers were transported in the first Afghanistan-bound train that ceremoniously departed from Nantong in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on 25th August.
The side of the train was draped with a banner that read “Congratulations on the Central Asian trains (Nantong – Afghanistan – Hairaton) launching” and on the front was a similar sign topped off with a bright red pom-pom.
The second train bound for Afghanistan is expected to arrive today after covering 7,500 kilometer of journey from eastern Chinese city of Yiwu to Mazar-e-Sharif city of Afghanistan, carrying over 100 containers worth of $4 million cargo.
The latest developments came as the Afghan government has been attempting to turn the country into a major regional transit hub by taking advantage of the geographical position of the country.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani during his speech at a gathering in Kabul said Afghanistan will continue to emerge as a key player to link the region, insisting that the country will no more remain dependent on a single port, gesturing towards the Pakistani ports on which the Afghan traders have long been counting on.