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.