BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 31
By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:
Construction work resumed on August 30, 2021, on the section of the Akina-Andkhoy railway line, which is part of the railway line connecting Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, Trend reports citing Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry.
According to the information, the construction of the Kerki-Imamnazar-Akina-Andkhoy railway began on June 6, 2014.
On January 14, 2021, a 30-kilometer railway line was opened on the territory of Afghanistan, between Akina and Andkhoy stations, a 153-kilometer power line from the Kerki substation in Lebap region (Turkmenistan) to the Turkmen-Afghan border and the border fiber-optic communication lines Imamnazar - Akina and Serhetabat - Turgundi.
It is noted that the project is carried out under a contract between the railway departments of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Currently, technical and commissioning work is underway at this site, which is planned to be completed in the near future.
Initially, the Atamyrat-Ymamnazar (Turkmenistan) - Akina (Afghanistan) and Akina-Andkhoy branches were supposed to become part of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway, but now Tajikistan is only mentioned as a final destination, planned to be completed “in the future”.
In 2017, a conflict arose between Turkmenistan and Tajikistan over the reluctance of Dushanbe to build its own section of the railway. After the resumption of train traffic between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the need for a TAT line for Dushanbe has disappeared.
The Tajik Ambassador to Uzbekistan said that the Tajik side intends to "postpone until better times" the idea of building a railway through Afghanistan.
In July 2019, Tajikistan and Afghanistan agreed on a railway route and work began on a feasibility study for the Tajik section, which was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
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