TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 15. Uzbekistan and the UAE’s Etihad Rail have discussed the company’s potential participation in the Trans-Afghan Railway project, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev wrote on his social media account, Trend reports.
The statement followed Khodjaev’s meeting in Abu Dhabi with Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail.
“We discussed the Etihad Rail’s potential participation in the Trans-Afghan Railway project, one of the most strategically important infrastructure initiatives in the region,” Khodjaev stated.
The Trans-Afghan Railway, with an estimated length of around 647 kilometers, is planned along the Termez–Naibabad–Maidanshahr–Logar–Kharlachi route. It will connect to Pakistan’s railway network, providing direct access to the ports of Karachi and other maritime terminals. The project’s preliminary cost is estimated at $4.6 billion.
Etihad Rail is the developer and operator of the United Arab Emirates’ national railway network. Established in 2009, the company is responsible for designing, building, and operating a 1,200-kilometer rail system that connects key industrial, logistics, and population centers across the UAE.