THE governments of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan have signed an agreement to conduct a feasibility study of building the UAP Railway to connect the three countries.
It was signed in Kabul on July 17 by Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Works, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport, and Pakistan's Ministry of Railways. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Uzbekistan’s minister of foreign affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and the foreign minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar.
The new 760km line would run from Termiz in Uzbekistan to Hairatan in Afghanistan, and then via Kabul and Logar to the border with Pakistan at Kharlachi. Expected to cut transit times between Uzbekistan and Pakistan from 35 days to three to five days, the project would provide access to ports on the Arabian Sea.
The route of the UAP Railway, also known as the Trans-Afghan Railway, was agreed by the three countries when they signed a joint protocol to build it in July 2023. The project was first proposed by Uzbekistan in December 2018, and its cost is reported to have increased from an initial $US 5bn to $US 7bn.
By facilitating regional trade and transit freight traffic, the project is expected to promote regional stability, growth and development. In statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry described the signing of the framework agreement as an important step towards its implementation.
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