A news report which is floating round the web

Plan Ready To Make Balochistan Rail Link For Central Asia

QUETTA, Oct 26 Asia Pulse – [Pakistan’s] federal government has prepared a blueprint for Balochistan to make it a rail bridge for Pakistan trade and a traffic corridor connecting it to Iran, Turkey, Europe and Central Asia.
According to official sources, Pakistan Railway’s blueprints provide for rail access from Gwadar, Pakistan’s third deep seaport along Arabian Sea, to Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics as well as Russia on one side.

On the other side, they said, Gwadar would have a rail link with Iran, Turkey, Europe and beyond. Both these vital rail links would go through southern, central and northern Balochistan. The blueprints show a link between Gwadar-Mastung-Taftan and Zahidan (Iran) on one hand, while on the other from Gwadar to Kandahar (southern Afghanistan) via Mastung-Quetta-Chaman-Spinboldak.

The sources added that at present Gwadar had no rail network, therefore, the government had decided to build 940-kilometer broad gauge from Gwadar (southern Balochistan) to Mastung (central Balochistan) at an estimated cost of Rs75 billion. Mastung is already connected with Quetta on the main line linking Pakistan with Iran via Taftan and Zahidan (Iran). The Quetta-Taftan-Zahidan section (612-km) though Mastung is in process of upgrading to international standard.

Such standard would be at par with Iranian railways, already catering for passengers and freight services to Turkey and the European countries, they added. They said the PR had already set aside a sum of Rs10billion for upgrading of Quetta-Taftan-Zahidan section.

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.