Author: Andrew Grantham

Afghanistan’s railway door to Europe

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Some pictures have appeared showing the new railway at Aqina on the Turkmenistan – Afghanistan border.

It would be nice if the opening ceremony led to a consensus on romanised spellings of the various place names – it would make tracking the project so much easier!

Turkmenistan to Aqina railway reaches Afghanistan

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A ceremony was held at Aqina1 in Afghanistan on 30 October 2016 to mark the laying of the final rails for the new railway from Atamurat2 in Turkmenistan to Afghanistan via the border crossing at Imamnazar.3

The new line is around 88 km long, with about 85 km on the section as far as Imamnazar and about 3.55 km on the cross-border secton which runs into Afghanistan.

Guests at the ceremony included Engineer Mahmoud Baligh, Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Works (the MPW includes the Afghanistan Railway Authority), Turkmenistan’s Minister of Railways and the country’s Ambassador to Kabul,4 Special Envoy to the President of Afghanistan on the CIS countries Shakir Kargar as well as representatives of the railway builders, media and local authorities.5

Atendees “greeted the symbolic moment with the storm of applause” when a “powerful tracklaying machine of the construction units of the Ministry of Railway Transport of Turkmenistan” laid the final rails and sleepers.6 Minister of Public Works Mahmood Baligh said co-operation with Turkmenistan to build the railway network would not only be beneficial for neighbouring countries and peoples, but would also contribute to widening mutually beneficial regional and international economic co-operation that meets the interests of peace, stability and sustainable development.

Laying the final rails for the railway from Atamurat to Afghanistan

Construction of the line is now almost finished, and the presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan are scheduled to attend an opening ceremony on 28 November 2016.7.

The project included the construction of two 5.8 m wide bridges over the River Karakum, one 363 m long and one 256 m long, which were built by Turkmenistan in co-operation with specialists from Ukrainian company Altcom.8

The next phase of the line will run for 33 km within Afghanistan from Aqina to Andkhoy.9

The new line is intended to form the first stage of the TAT Railway corridor linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Construction had been launched by the presidents of the three countries with a ceremony on 5 June 2013.

Announcing the completion of the first section of the route, Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Afairs said the new railway “is intended to become an important link in the international transport, to encourage trade relations between the countries of the region and give a strong impetus to the restoration of the Afghan economy”, and would “contribute to the solution of social issues, ensuring employment of the population.”

The importance and potential of the new railway, which will connect Turkmenistan and Afghanistan with the economic ties, is proved by the intense freight traffic flow passing through the Ymamnazar customs post. Turkmenistan exports oil products, liquefied gas, carbamide, cement, grain, licorice, carbon, cotton seed oil, Saradja wool, etc. Moreover, large transit consignments of humanitarian and other cargoes pass through the Ymamnazar customs post. Citrus and fruits transiting through Afghanistan are registered as import. A number of food products are transported to the neighbouring countries of the region and Europe through territory of Turkmenistan.
Source: Turkmen construction specialists mounted the final joints of the first stage of the Asian railway in Akina, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan: The Golden Age, 30 November 2016.

References

  1. Also written Akina, Aqeena etc ↩
  2. Or Atamyrat, and formerly Kerki ↩
  3. Countless spellings including Ymamnazar, Ymam Nazar, Ymymnazar etc, sometimes inconsistently within the same official text ↩
  4. شروع كار ريل گذاري خط آهن بندر آقينه با حضور وزير فوايد عامه، نماينده… , Ministry of Public Works, 1 November 2016 ↩
  5. The construction of the first phase of an international railway corridor Turkmenistan – Afghanistan completed, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, 2016 ↩
  6. Turkmen construction specialists mounted the final joints of the first stage of the Asian railway in Akina, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan: The Golden Age, 30 November 2016 ↩
  7. Asian International Railway Corridor, Regional Economic Cooperation Conference for Afghanistan, 1 November 2016 ↩
  8. Altcom previously built a road bridge over the Amu Darya. ↩
  9. Various similar spellings ↩

Photo of the Atamurat – Aqina railway?

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The Khaama Press story Lazuli railway network to link Afghanistan to Europe and China soon published on 19 October 2016 has a photo which might be of the new railway from Atamurat in Turkmenistan to the Afghan border and Aqina. If so, this is only the second time I have seen photos of the line.

Aqina railway to be completed next month

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Generally, construction and installation works Atamyrat – Ymamnazar – Akina railroad are planned to be completed in the first decade of November, 2016.

Large social and economic impact is expected from this railway in Afghanistan, because, as a rule, automobile roads, power and energy lines are laid along such roads. Owing to such infrastructure, perspectives of such territories, where railroads are laid, along which working settlements appear, next to large industrial facilities, satellite cities grow. Thousands of working places are appeared; industrial growth is observed.

[…]

Thus, Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Tajikistan railroad will become another golden link of the Asian railway corridor, which in its turn will become an important segment of international transport networks uniting two parts of the huge continent, Europe and Asia.

Source: The President of Turkmenistan held session dedicated to forthcoming opening of transnational railroad, State News Agency of Turkmenistan, 7 October 2016

Aqina railway opening ceremony committee formed

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The President of Turkmenistan signed the Decree on establishment of special committee for provision of high organizational level of opening ceremony of Atamyrat – Ymamnazar (Turkmenistan) – Akina (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) section of the first phase of International Asian railroad transport corridor as well as of hydrocarbons reception, storage and offloading terminal at Ymamnazar custom post of Atamyrat etrap of Lebap velayat.

According to the document, the Committee is assigned to develop the plan for abovementioned opening ceremonies, define measures for high organizational level and assign responsible leaders.

Source: Committee for opening ceremony of Atamyrat – Ymamnazar – Akina railroad line is approved, Turkmenistan: the Golden Age Online Newspaper, 7 October 2016

President Berdimuhamedov inspects construction of TAT railway

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Map of the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Tajikistan railway project

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reviewed the construction of the Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Tajikistan railway during a working visit to Lebap velayat, Turkmenistan: the Golden Age reports.1

He travelled from Turkmenabat Airport by helicopter to Ymamnazar (or Immamnazar, or various other spellings), “where construction of Atamyrat – Ymamnazar – Akina – Andhoy steel line undergoes at full pace”. At Ymamnazar received reports about the customs facilities which handle Around 250 – 300 trucks per day, then visted an hydrocarbon terminal where “construction is at the final stage”. The terminal includes a “Railway loading rack for hydrocarbons”.

He then went to the future Ymamnazar station. As of the date of the visit, 85 km of earthworks had been built on the Atamyrat – Ymamnazar line, 82.2 km “filled with sand and gravel mixture”, 82 km of rails had been laid and a road parallel to the railway had been prepared. The earthworks on the Afghan sectioon of the railway to Akinoy “is prepared”, and construction works at two Gulistan and Ymamnazar stations “are at the final stages”.

“This railway is summoned to become the road of friendship and cooperation of the countries of the region and reliable transport main. Realization of this project, besides economic benefits, will open wide opportunities for integration of participating countries into the international economy at equal partnership.”
Turkmenistan: the Golden Age

Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers S Satlykov and Minister of Transport B Annameredov provided the president with information about the railway project. The President “expressed his interest in rates and quality of construction works at other parts of the railway”, and “emphasized that deadline for putting into operation of the railway are important requirements for construction of this complex engineering and technical infrastructure”.

During his return flight to Turkmenabat the President saw the work underway on two bridges on the Atamyrat – Ymamnazar – Akina railway. These bridges are 5 m wide, with the bridge at the 15 Years of Independence lake being 256m long and the bridge over the Karakum River being 363 m long. Construction of the reinforced concrete piers has been completed, and temporary piers and metalwork are being installed.

“Successful realization of the construction project of this strategic transport corridor will provide not only further steadfast social and economic development of Lebap region but the whole Turkmenistan as well. As it was mentioned above, the right bank of the Amudarya River has unique deposits of natural reserves. Establishment of reliable railway connection will serve as key factor of rapid development of this countless treasury.”
Turkmenistan: the Golden Age

I can’t seem to find any photos of this presidential trip, but I suspect there might be some out there somewhere – do let me know if you spot any!

References

Freight train from China arrives in Afghanistan

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The first rail freight service from China arrived at Hairatan in Afghanistan on 7 September 2016, having left Nantong in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on 25 August 2016.

Guests at a welcoming ceremony includied the former governor of Balkh province, Mohammad Ishaq Rahguzar, and China’s ambassador.

The same rolling stock did not run through all the way, because China uses 1435 mm standard gauge railway track while the former USSR and Afghaistan use 1520 mm (“Russian”) gauge. The containers were presumably transhipped at the break of gauge at the China-Kazakhstan border.

The train was hauled in Afghanistan by a TEM2 diesel locomotive decorated with banners and the flags of China and Afghanistan.

Geopolitical significance:

There are still some technical issues: