The technical studies of Kandahar-Quetta and Jalalabad-Peshawar railway, which will be completed in four months, are handed over to the Hampton and Branchville Railroad Company.
Source: Quqnoos.com, 2010-07-08
The H&BR appears to be a 40 mile shortline in South Carolina with eight locos and 14 staff… on the face of it, not the most obvious firm to carry out feasibility studies in Afghanistan?
Extending the railroad from Chaman (Pakistan) to Kandahar should be relatively easy, and relatively inexpensive. The terrain is not very challenging, and there are only a few small towns along the way. Many years ago the British were prepared to get the job done in just a few weeks.
A modern railroad from Peshawar (Pakistan) to Jalalabad is an entirely different story. The entire route over the Khyber Pass would have to be rebuilt. This would be an engineering challenge of the first order, and would be very expensive! Furthermore, the route would be through the heart of Pakistan’s ‘Federally Administered Tribal Areas.’ As a result, security for such a railroad would be very difficult.