Russia and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement to cooperate on the Trans-Afghan railway. For the time being, collaboration entails working together on a feasibility study.
Signatories of the agreement include the countries’ transport ministries and national rail operators, write Uzbek media. They will be cooperating throughout the year to research the economic viability of various possible routes through Afghanistan, but also their projected freight volumes.
Earlier, the Eurasian Development Bank came to the conclusion that a Trans-Afghan rail link connecting Uzbekistan and Pakistan would cost around 4,8 billion dollars. Russia and Uzbekistan are assessing two variations of the route: a western variant through Afghanistan’s lower lying lands and a shorter route through the more difficult terrain in the northeast.
To the Indian Ocean
The most likely of those two options seems to be the western option. Earlier, Afghanistan signed contracts worth over 250 million dollars to develop that rail corridor. Neighbouring Turkmenistan, as well as Kazakhstan, have expressed interest in helping Afghanistan develop that line. It could help the landlocked countries get a better connection with the Indian Ocean.