The Khaf-Herat railway project is a 225-kilometer-long cross-border railway between Iran and Afghanistan, connecting eastern Iran with western Afghanistan. It is one of the important infrastructure projects managed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (RAI) Railway and the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA).

The railway project involves four parts, two of which are located in Iran and the rest are located in Afghanistan. In December 2020, the first three parts are 140 kilometers long and officially opened. A test freight train transported 500 tons of cement between Khaf Station in Iran and Rozanak Station in Afghanistan.

Construction of the Khaf-Herat line as part of the Iran-Afghanistan railway corridor began in 2007. The total investment in the construction of the first three parts of the Khaf-Herat railway is 665 million US dollars. Afghanistan approved the first phase of construction in February 2019, with a total length of 85 kilometers, and the fourth phase of construction started in December 2020.

Kraft-Harat railway project route details

The total length of the first two parts is 78 kilometers, extending from the city of Kaf to the border of Khorasan Razawi Province in Iran. The third and fourth parts are located in Afghanistan, with a total length of 147 kilometers, extending from the Shamtiq border to Rozanak, and finally to Herat. The first phase of the fourth part will be developed in approximately 16 months, with a total length of 43 kilometers, passing through Ghorian, Zenda Jan and Enjeel, and arriving at Rabat Paryan in Herat.

The railway will extend to Chabahar in southeastern Iran, allowing Afghanistan to improve trade through connections with Central Asia, Russia, Turkey and Europe.

The Khaf-Herat line is a single-track standard gauge railway with a gauge of 1,435mm. It runs southward from Khaf and extends eastward through rugged and arid areas. The maximum speed of freight trains is expected to be 120 km/h, passenger trains are 160 km/h, and the axle load can reach 25 tons.

Kraft-Herat Railway Project Revenue

The new railway line will improve passenger transportation and cargo import and export between the two countries. This will also improve Iran’s strategic position in regional exports and is of strategic importance to Afghanistan as it links Afghanistan with Europe. The new link will transport 1 million passengers a year between the two countries and more than 6 million tons of cargo each year.

The Kraft-Herat railway project will help reduce transportation costs, border traffic, and encourage passenger and cargo transportation throughout the region. It will further strengthen the political, cultural and economic relations between Iran and Afghanistan.

Contractor participation

Abad Rahan Pass is committed to the initial construction of the railway project under a contract valued at US$40 million awarded by the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Transport in January 2007.

Iranian company Ballast signed a contract to provide equipment and materials. It carried out the construction and installation of the track at Razavi Khorasan. According to the contract, the company provided 90 kilometers of tracks, 110 tons of railways, 54 turnouts, 224,000 cubic meters of ballast and 150,000 sleepers.

Integra Construction, a company based in Kazakhstan, signed the construction contract for the first phase of Part IV in December 2019. Editor/Huang Lijun