HERAT CITY (SW) – The Khawaf – Herat railway link was officially inaugurated on Thursday by the Afghan and Iranian officials in Herat.
It is the first railway link between the two countries and has the capacity to transport 6 million tons of commercial goods and one million passengers annually, officials said.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghania and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke online at the event. Ghani called the establishment of the rail link as an historic project and said it was “very important” for revitalization, development and economic growth in both countries.
The Afghan president described the completion of the project as a clear sign of the national will of both countries for closer ties.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that with this rail link, the bond between the two countries will be stronger and the relations between the two countries will be further strengthened.
Yama Shams, head of the Khawaf – Herat Independent Railway Authority, said on the occasion that with the opening of this railway link, Afghanistan will be connected to Europe through the ports of southern Iran and the Iran – Turkey railway network.
The first test train with a cargo of 500 tons of Iranian exports arrived in Herat last month via this link.
Mohammad Eslami, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, said that out of a total of 225 kilometers of the Khawaf – Herat railway line, 140 milometers were completed today and the remaining 85 kilometres will be completed soon.
The Khawaf – Herat railway link has four parts, two parts of which are laid in Iran and one part in Afghanistan, and the construction of the fourth section of this project from Herat to the Rosank industrial park will soon begin.
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