Afghan railway station codes created

The Afghanistan Railway Authority (AfRA), following the creation of Afghanistan Country Code, for the first time in history of the country, has created Codes for the Afghanistan Railway Stations on the International Railway System Database.

This comes as a result of AfRA’s membership to the International Union of Railways (UIC) as well as the Organisation of Cooperation of Railways (OSJD).

The Station Codes will allow importers/exporters to book freight from anywhere in the world which was previously not possible, and bookings were made using neighbouring countries’ codes.

Source: Afghanistan Railway Authority Facebook page, 27 September 2014

Afghanistan allocated Railway Country Code

Railway Country Code 68 has been assigned to Afghanistan by the International Union of Railway (UIC) and the Organisation for Cooperation Between Railways (OSJD), the Afghanistan Railway Authority has announced.

AfRA said “all current railway stations, such as Hairatan, Naibabad and Mazar-e-Sharif will also be assigned Station Codes, to enable location identification for rail operations movements.”

Afghanistan Railway Authority joins UIC

The Afghanistan Railway Authority has joined the International Union of Railways, the body which aims “to promote rail transport at world level and meet the challenges of mobility and sustainable development” by sharing best practice, supporting members’ efforts to develop new business and new areas of activities, improving technical and environmental performance and promoting interoperability.1

Afghanistan becomes a member of the International Union of Railways

Kabul – The membership of Afghanistan to the International Union of Railways (UIC) was officially declared at the 83rd General Assembly ofthe UIC held on December 12 in Paris. Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Paris and the Afghanistan Railways representative participated in this biannual meeting.

Afghanistan acquires this membership while completing the construction of regional railway line pieces through the two main trade and transit ports to the railway ring network by 2040. At present, the construction of 75 km Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway line has been completed and the construction of 124 km railway line from Herat to Islam Qala is under construction. These two pieces of railway are parts of a 3429 km railway line which will be completed by 2025.

Membership of this Union not only aids in the facilitation of transiting Afghan and South Asian goods, but also cooperates in the security of railways, their efficiency and credibility of the interaction of railways with international standards. Looking at Afghanistan’s geographic location, members in this Union is not only beneficial to the country but also significant in terms of regional economic interaction among countries in the region. Afghanistan’s regional economic integration and credibility relates to the full integration and coordination with regional and international standards.

The UIC currently has 204 members.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 18 December 2013

There is a photo of railway construction on the website of Afghanistan’s embassy in the UK.

Announcement from Afghanistan’s embassy in Paris:

L’Afghanistan devient membre de l’Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer

Pour la première fois, l’Afghanistan a participé, jeudi 12 décembre, à l’assemblée générale de l’UIC qui s’est tenue à Paris. L’adhésion de l’Afghanistan à cette organisation mondiale du transport ferroviaire, comprenant pas moins de 240 membres répartis sur cinq continents a été approuvée à l’unanimité. La délégation afghane amenée par S.E. Dr Assad Omer, ambassadeur d’Afghanistan à Paris, était composée notamment de Mr Yama Yaris, ingénieur et conseiller de l’Autorité des Chemins de Fer d’Afghanistan. Malgré les quelques dix mille kilomètres de routes asphaltées construites et les immenses progrès réalisés en matière de transport, il est indispensable de poursuivre la construction des chemins de fer afghans. Cette activité ferroviaire s’avère indispensable au développement économique du pays permettant des connections avec les pays de la région. L’ambassadeur Omer dans son allocution de remerciement a souligné que l’Afghanistan avait déjà dans les années 10 construit un court chemin de fer et c’est seulement dans les années 70 qu’une étude compréhensive a été entreprise en coopération avec la France. Les événements tragiques dont l’Afghanistan a été victime n’ont pas permis d’aller plus loin dans la mise en œuvre de l’étude. Les années 2000 ont vu la création d’une autorité et l’élaboration de projets ambitieux. Nous sommes déterminés à retrouver notre place dans la route de la soie reliant l’Extrême-Orient, l’Asie Centrale, l’Asie du Sud, le Moyen-Orient et l’Europe. L’UIC nous apportera une coopération précieuse. L’autorité des chemins de fer en tant que membre pourra bénéficier des expertises et de la formation dont a parlé le directeur général Mr Loubinoux.

Source: Ambassade de la République Islamique d’Afghanistan, France

  1. Introduction, UIC. Accessed 22 December 2013