March 5th, 2007
Well, maybe not. That would just be silly. But today’s Pakistan Times reports that President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday [2007-03-03] called for fast development of the Pakistan Railways on modern lines to provide economical travel to the people, swift movement of goods and to create linkages with neighbouring countries.
He said the current target of increasing speed of trains up to 140 km/hour was not enough. “Today the world is moving on to magnetic levitation trains and monorails for mass transport, we need to go for these,” he added.
The President referring to his vision for the Pakistan Railways spoke of plans to link Chamman to Kandahar in Afghanistan and to build an ambitious rail track from Havelian to the Khunjerab Pass to connect with the Chinese mainline.
“Both the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have expressed desire to join this rail link as it will provide them an access to the Gwadar Port,” he said.
Tags: Chaman, Kandahar, Pakistan
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February 18th, 2007
Club-Feroviar reported at the end of January:
Pakistan Railways (PR) are ready for expanding and improving railway links with neighbours countries, Iran and Afghanistan, linking Chaman to Spin Boldak and Quetta to Taftan, according to the Minister of Railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. The Minister said PR has made all necessary preparations for linking Chaman to Spin Boldak in Afghanistan and added it is waiting for the approval of Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai. Railway links between Quetta and Taftan are also taken in consideration, the Minister going to leave next month in Iran for to discuss this project with Afghan officials.
Tags: Pakistan, Spin Boldak
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December 7th, 2006
Dr Jack Schroder writes to me regarding “a secret British report had a planned RR from Jalalabad going up the Kabul River to Sarobi and then north up the Panshir River before crossing it near Baghram and then back south to Kabul.”
I think there might be copy in the British Library, a document which I didn’t get round to reading. Unfotunately Dr Schroder forgot to include his e-mail address - so if he is reading, please can he get in touch again?
Tags: Jalalabad, Sarobi
Posted in Afghanistan's railways | 1 Comment »
July 25th, 2006
Gag Halfrunt has spotted that NATO’s International Security Assistance Force website has an article dated 22 May 2006 about moving the steam loco. There are a couple of photos of the loco being moved, and three more in a PDF newsletter.
KABUL - Afghanistan. A joint venture between the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst and the German Supply Company 2, has led to the staging of a major attraction at, or to be more precise, in front of, the Kabul National Museum. A major operation was conducted in order to assist soldiers from the recovery unit lift a historical locomotive from its resting place with the help of their crane and a heavy multi-purpose truck. The engine, which had been neglected in the museum’s backyard, is one of just three historical railway engines left in Afghanistan. Now, after 80 years, it has been granted a place of honour in front of the National Museum, directly opposite the Darulaman Palace.
For five years only, between 1923 and 1929, Afghanistan had its own railway. Three steam engines manufactured by Henschel, a German enterprise, travelled on a test track running from Kabul, southwest to the Darulaman Palace, located 7 km from Kabul, at that the time, the fare for a one-way ticket was one Afghani or 0.02 Euros. The project, however, was short-lived, As long as Afghanistan does not have enough weapons to ward off acts of aggression by the big powers (British Empire and the Tsar) it would be crazy to allow the construction of a railroad track leading into his country
, Emir Abdul Rahman (1880 - 1901) stated. Still today, Afghanistan remains one of the few countries in the world without a railroad system.
The idea to put the best preserved locomotive on display in front of the museum’s entrance came from the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst and with the help of the German supply company the 10-ton engine was moved 200 meters and placed on a track bed which had previously been raised by the recovery unit. In view of the considerable age of the engine, this procedure had to be executed with great care and the utmost precision by the crane specialists. Finally, after almost three hours of nail-biting work, First Lieutenant Boris Barchanski reported, “Locomotive in place, mission accomplished!”
Tags: Darulaman, Kabul, NATO, steam loco
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July 21st, 2006
“Soldiers save locomotive ” reports the latest issue of the German publication Eisenbahn Magazin (issue 8/2006, page 86).
Afghanistan ist bis heute eines wenigen Laender ohne Schienenverkehr
- Afghanistan is to today one of the few countries without rail traffic.
We know this is not quite true! I’d write them a letter, but unfortunately my German only runs to buying ein bier, noch ein bier, and finding the best way of getting to the railway station. I’ll have a go at translating it soon. Can any German enthusiasts shed any more light on the story of the locos and their railway?
Tags: Bundeswehr, Darulaman, steam loco
Posted in Afghanistan's railways | 1 Comment »
July 21st, 2006
“DJK” has supplied three photos of the steam locos in Kabul, taken on July 2 2006. All three are still there, but one has been moved … more prominently on display. It was the first one in the line of three, and also in the best condition. It sits on a segment of track that is barely longer than the locomotive.
View over the wall
Loco on display
General view
Excitingly, I have been told by someone here that he has seen a number of locomotives at one of the hydroelectric power plants near Kabul city.
Tags: Darulaman, Kabul, steam loco
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July 9th, 2006
This Czech website has a map and illustrated history of Kabul’s trolleybuses. The photo of a Czech trolley bus and a camel is rather fun. There are more details on the Czech-language page.
Tags: Kabul, trolley bus
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April 9th, 2006
The Spring 2006 issue of Continental Railway Journal has a couple of pages on Afghanistan by David Brice, with details of current operations on the two lines. There are 3-4 trains a day to Hayratan, worked by Uzbekistan Railways TEM2 locos, and 1-2 daily trains to Torghundi.
There is also an editorial note on the identities of the three steam engines in Darulaman.
Tags: Continental Railway Journal, Hayratan, Towraghondi
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March 12th, 2006
BISNIS reports on a plan for a Railway from Tajikistan to Afghanistan
DUSHANBE, February 2006, Avesta - Construction of railroad Kolkhozobod – Nizhniy Pyanj (Tajikistan) – Kunduz (Afghanistan) will cost over $100 million. The project was elaborated by Tajik specialists and adjusted with Afghan colleagues. The project provides for two stages of the construction. The investment project was submitted to all international financial institutes and countries-donors for consideration.
Google also finds this story from 20 June 2005:
AFGHANISTAN-TAJIKISTAN: New bridge to provide key economic link
Efforts to boost the economies of both Tajikistan and Afghanistan moved one step further on Saturday, when Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and Afghan President Hamid Karzai laid the foundation stone for a US-funded bridge across the Pyanzh River.
…
“In the future we will lay electricity, gas and water lines through this bridge. We also hope that next to this bridge will be built another bridge designed for the Dushanbe-Kurghonteppa-Kunduz railway,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RE) quoted Tajik President Rakhmonov as saying.
Tags: Kunduz, Tajikistan
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October 6th, 2005
A 3 May 2005 news report from Marc Wolfensberger at Bloomberg
The government of Afghanistan plans to build its first international railway, linking the former Taliban stronghold city of Kandahar in the south, to Pakistan, said Public Works Minister Shorah Ali Safari.
Safari said in an interview today that he submitted a proposal to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet 10 days ago and “hopes”‘ the project will be approved this year for construction to start in 2006. He didn’t elaborate on financing.
…
“Time has changed,”‘ said Safari, 60, speaking in the Iranian city of Mashad. “Trains are no longer used to invade countries — they’ll boost our economy and benefit our people.”‘
… Engineering studies on the planned Afghanistan railway — running 100 kilometers between Kandahar, the former base of the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, to the Pakistani border town of Chamman — have been completed, the minister said.
Construction work should be “relatively easy”‘ since the track will cross “plain territory, with no mountains and thus no tunnels to be built,” Safari said. He declined to give a time for completion.
… Beyond Pakistan, Afghanistan has “ambitious”‘ plans to develop its railway network, said the minister, who taught engineering at Kabul University in the 1960s. Feasibility studies are under way for a rail link between the western city of Herat to Iran and Turkmenistan. Another project foresees a railtrack between the northwestern city of Mazar-I-sharif and Uzbekistan, he said.
… He didn’t give details about financing the projects. He said he hasn’t contacted international financial institutions such as the World Bank, nor international private lenders.
Tags: Chaman, Kandahar, Pakistan
Posted in Afghanistan's railways | 1 Comment »
