Archive for the ‘External Links’ Category

Turkmenistan railways

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

“Turkmenistan” magazine had an issue about the country’s railways (PDF) in March 2006, which you can read online in English and Russian.

Turkmenistan is a bit of an information black hole, beyond the legendary revolving gold statue of the late president. There doesn’t even seem to be a website for the national railway company (unless anyone knows better?).

It appears that since 2004 Chinese suppliers have replaced most of the Soviet-era fleet with a range of single and double-unit diesels. I’m attempting to put together a list of the different types they have, but am finding the supplier and official news agency’s numbers don’t add up – if you can help, please do get in touch!

Herat railway construction and Afghan coal mining on video

Monday, January 9th, 2012

There are downloadable MP4 format videos entitled Afghanistan Train Line, Coal Baghlan Province and Gold Mine on the website of Awaz News, “an Afghan independent news agency operating throughout Afghanistan and providing in-depth reporting to television and radio networks.”

Awaz News screenshot

On the “Economy/Infrastructures” section of the website, the “Afghanistan Train Line” (13 minutes) video includes images of bridges and construction sites, along with Iranian flags. While the commentary is not in English (presumably it is Dari – can anyone confirm?) there are some recognisable place names. From this, I think the video might well show hard evidence of construction works underway for the Iran to Herat railway. The video shows bridges and cuttings, but no sign of tracklaying or railway systems installation.

The computer generated impressions of trains are clearly not of Afghanistan – they appear to show Skoda CityElefant electric trains from the Czech Republic.

The “Gold Mine” video (12.12 minutes) has some brief railway shots, I suspect of the Karkar and Dudkash coal mines.

The mines are covered depth in the “Coal Baghlan Province” video (13.5 min) on the Natural Resources section of the Awaz News website, this video is well worth a watch if you are interested in industrial things.

Museum photos and an angle iron plan

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

We saw the old trains of Kabul as well, which was very cool. I knew there was an original railway here but I didn’t know where or if it was still in Kabul.

A Day at the Afghanistan National Museum is an article by Jim Rentfrow at the website of the Green Gem Foundation, “new non-profit organization established to promote the development of ethical gemstones“.

He describes a visit to the museum on 17 December 2011, with some good photos of the “non-plinthed” Henschel steam locos, which along with the remains of the coaches seem to have gained a roof over them, which is good news.

Angle iron

Angle Iron Rail Project is Green Gem Foundation project to fund a “rudimentary rail system” based on trolleys running on angle iron tracks to ease work in gem mines in Kunduz, Nuristan or elsewhere. Apparently coal and peridot mines in Pakistan use this system.

On the slow train

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Call it the ultimate in military logistics. As land routes from Pakistan into Afghanistan are cut, sabotaged or otherwise interrupted, the U.S. military has developed alternative railroad routes that make the Orient Express look like a branch line.

They are called — rather prosaically — the Northern Distribution Network, or NDN. The main route begins at the port of Riga in Latvia, from where freight trains roll across Russia, and continues along the edge of the Caspian Sea. It crosses the deserts of Kazakhstan and into Uzbekistan. About 10 days after beginning their odyssey, the containers cross into Afghanistan, carrying everything from computers and socks to toilet paper and bottled water.

[More...]

Source: To Afghanistan, on the slow train, Tim Lister, CNN, 29 November 2011

From the Great Game to the Modern Silk Road

Sunday, December 4th, 2011

Afghan Railways: From the Great Game to the Modern Silk Road by Jared Nolan at War News Radio.

Afghanistan is at the crossroads of Central Asia–between East and South Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe–and was an important stop on the Silk Road. War News Radio’s Jared Nolan uses historical perspective and geopolitics to define Afghanistan’s current transportation industry and determine what the future may hold. This is part of War News Radio’s ongoing series on the state of the Afghan economy.

Uzbek steam loco up a mountain?

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

A news report about the suspected terrorist incident on the railway from Termez to Tajikistan has a photo showing what looks like a steam loco painted the colours of the in Uzbek flag, on the top of a hill. Anyone know where or what it is?

The sign on the coach on the foreground says it is going to or from Termez.

ADB funding for Uzbek electrification and Afghan project

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

Electrification and extension to boost Central Asian connections, Railway Gazette International, 29 September 2011.

I can’t find much hard information on exactly what is being funded in Afghanistan.

NDN politics

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Uzbekistan: Does Tashkent Use an Afghan Supply Route to Tweak Russia?, a 8 September 2011 article on Wikileaks at Eurasianet.

A good point

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

I recently found this link to the website:

… I had an appetite for more background, and found Railways of Afghanistan. What ever did I waste my time on before the internet?

Source: Silk Road, Iron Horse, Copper Wire, Airforce Amazons, 2009-12-29

Chappar Rift railway

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Images of the remains of the Chappar Rift railway in Pakistan, in a video by Aurang Zaib Khan

There is a history of the line at All Things Pakistan