BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 4. If the
Iran-China-Afghanistan railway lines are put into operation, the
route could play an important role in the East-West international
transport corridor, said Iran’s Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban
Development and Executive Director of the Iranian Railway Company,
Jabbar Ali Zakeri, during a meeting with an Afghan delegation in
Kabul, Trend
reports.
According to Zakeri, the construction and commissioning of the
Herat–Mazar-i-Sharif railway line in Afghanistan can be considered
the first stage of the Iran–China–Afghanistan railway project. He
noted that this development could contribute to Afghanistan’s
economic growth and logistical stability, potentially turning the
country into a key link in the East-West transport corridor.
Zakeri said that at the beginning of last year, rail freight
traffic between Iran and Afghanistan stood at about 5,000 tons per
month. As a result of measures implemented to facilitate freight
transportation to Afghanistan, this figure has now exceeded 70,000
tons per month.
He added that, thanks to ongoing technical coordination, cargo
transportation volumes are expected to reach approximately 100,000
tons per month in the near future.
The meeting also resulted in an agreement to establish joint
working groups on railway construction and development, as well as
cooperation in the mining sector.
