Pajhwok: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have held talks on initiating a feasibility study for the trans-Afghan rail project.
The project, when implemented, will connect Afghanistan and Pakistan with Central Asian Republics.
At a trilateral meeting in Islamabad, the progress made on initial technical assessments and next steps for the early launch of the feasibility study came up for discussion.
Pakistan’s Railway Ministry said the project would facilitate regional and bilateral trade and provide better people-to-people access to the entire region.
Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat from Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Additional Secretary to Railway Ministry Syed Mazhar Ali Shah and Kamalov Akmal Saidakabarovich from Uzbekistan co-chaired the meeting.
A roadmap for the construction of a new 573km Trans-Afghan railway line — connecting Central Asia with ports on the Arabian Sea — has already been inked.
Under the agreement, a joint expedition will be conducted to survey the route and its terrain and a preliminary feasibility study for the project.
