Author: Andrew Grantham

Russian agrees to facilitate transit traffic

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

NATO-Russia Council Joint Statement at the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council held in Lisbon on 20 November 2010

We, the Heads of State and Government of the NATO-Russia Council, met today in Lisbon and affirmed that we have embarked on a new stage of cooperation towards a true strategic partnership.

…

We underlined the importance of international efforts in support of the Afghan Government and in promoting regional peace and stability. In that context, the revised arrangements aimed at further facilitating railway transit of non-lethal ISAF goods through Russian territory are of particular value.

Source: NATO, 2010-11-20

Kabul to Darulaman railway in 1930

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

“Train en afghanistan 1930” is a photograph of the Kabul to Darulaman railway, scanned from French magazine Sciences et Voyages No. 533 of 3 April 1930 by “Jean-Pierre 60”.


Photo of Kabul to Darulaman railway train

The original caption says Il existe, en Afghanistan, quelques kilomètres de voies ferrées. La photographie represente une station de chemin de fer [There are, in Afghanistan, a few kilometres of railway. The photograph shows a railway station].

The locomotive has a headlight, which doesn’t appear on earlier pictures.

“Not viable, economically or technically”

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A somewhat pessimistic view…

Iran-Afghanistan railway ‘on agenda’

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday that the construction of a railway between the Iranian city of Khaf and the Afghan city of Herat was being discussed, according to the Tehran-based Press TV.

….

Tehran faces many difficulties in extending this railway farther than Herat, said Zhou Rong, an Islamabad-based researcher on Central and South Asian issues.

“Afghanistan is still at war, and if this railway is extended to Tajikistan, it must run through the Pashtun areas controlled by the anti-Iran Taliban,” Zhou said. “The security costs would be very high.”

It’s no more than a “political will” to build a railway to link Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Zhou said, adding that the idea is “not viable, economically or technically.”

Source: Global Times, 2010-11-17

Photos of Hayratan and its railway facilities

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A good set of photos in, around and above Hayratan, taken by “Robert” in July 2010 during his Afghanistan Deployment. I have selected some of the railway shots, but the whole album is worth a look.

  • Here’s a shot of the new railroad.
  • I was excited to see this train hauling track parts south
  • Cargo being moved by rail in Afghanistan! A big first for this country.
  • The Friendship bridge which crosses the Amu Darya into Uzbekistan. It’s used for both rail and road traffic (although not at the same time).
  • The Hairatan border crossing is a major fuel transfer point for Afghanistan.
  • one of the cargo yards
  • A train that has just rolled in to Afghanistan. So nice to see commercial trade taking place in this country.
  • Rail car being unloaded at the Hairatan crossing.
  • Another shot of the railroad. The Afghans have made tremendous progress on it.
  • (photo of a yellow machine)

    • Technical assistance to the National Railway Authority

    Posted on by Andrew Grantham

    An OJEU notice.

    09/11/2010 S217 External aid programmes – Service contract – Prior Information Notice – Prior information or periodic indicative notice 

    AF-Kabul: DCI — technical assistance to the National Railway Authority in Afghanistan

    2010/S 217-331687

    Location: Asia — Afghanistan

    Contract forecast notice

    Services

    Common procurement vocabulary (CPV):

    Main object:

    71356200 Technical assistance services

    Additional object(s):

    79314000 Feasibility study

     1.Publication reference:

    EuropeAid/130690/C/SER/AF.
     2.Procedure:

    Restricted.
     3.Programme:

    DCI.
     4.Financing:

    Financing agreement.
     5.Contracting authority:

    European Union, represented by the European Commission, on behalf of and for the account of the beneficiary countries, Kabul, AFGHANISTAN.
     6.Nature of contract:

    Fee-based.
     7.Contract description:

    The forecast service contract aims to provide technical assistance to the Government of Afghanistan in order to:
    1) help establish a National Railway Authority;
    2) provide support to capacity building;
    3) provide assessment of country-wide railway feasibility;
    4) provide assessment of country-specific technical issues (e.g. gauge).
    The most important criteria for contracting an expert team will be proven expertise in the areas of:
    — institutional building,
    — capacity building,
    — transport economics, and
    — railway engineering.
    The indicative duration of the service contract will be 30 months and the team will be based in Kabul (Afghanistan), working closely with the involved ministries, governmental agencies and international donors. Coordination with the neighbour countries will be channelled via the Secretariat for Regional Cooperation.
     8.Numbers and titles of lots:

    The contract is divided into lots:
    No, 1 lot only.
     9.Budget:

    Maximum budget: 1 550 000 EUR.
     10.Intended timing of publication of procurement notice:

    December 2010.
     11.Additional information
     12.Legal basis:

    DCI-ASIE.
     13.Date of dispatch of this notice:

    27.10.2010.

    Remarks:

    There must be a minimum period of 30 calendar days between the publication of this contract forecast and the publication of the corresponding procurement notice.

    No applications or requests for information should be sent at this stage.

    Steam loco at the National Museum of Afghanistan

    Posted on by Andrew Grantham

    The Museum And The Palace at the From UBC to Kabul blog by Brian Platt has some photographs of the Kabul museum and its plinthed Henschel steam locomotive which were taken on 30 October 2010. One of the locos with a collapsed cab is also visible in one of the shots.

    After wondering around inside for a while, I explored the outside yard of the museum. The most interesting piece was this, the rusted-out body of a steam engine. It’s from the 1920s when Amanullah, the leader of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, worked his ass off to modernize the country.
    …
    However, Amanullah’s policies were attacked viciously by various conservative factions in Afghanistan, and eventually he was forced into exile in Europe. All that’s left of his grand train visions are sitting on the lawn of the National Museum.
    Source: From UBC to Kabul, 2010-11-03

    Herat railway “will start operation soon”, says Iranian official

    Posted on by Andrew Grantham

    The Iranian-backed railway from Khaf in Iran to the Afghan city of Herat will open “in the near future”, reports Iranian news agency Fars. Unfortunately there is no definition of “near future”!

    A previous report earlier this year suggested that a lot of work was still required within Afghan territory. Does anyone know the current situation?

    Iran to Inaugurate Transit Railway with Afghanistan Soon

    A senior Iranian legislator announced on Saturday [30 October 2010] that the country plans to inaugurate a transit railway line linking Iran’s eastern parts to the western regions in Afghanistan in the near future in a move to facilitate transfer of goods and cargos between the two neighboring countries.

    “The transit line which will link Torbat Heidariyeh (in Northeastern Iran) to Herat (in Western Afghanistan) will start operation soon and it is due to be extended to Iran’s Southern-most port city of Chabahar (on the rims of the Persian Gulf),” member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Ali Rezaee told FNA.

    [More…]

    Source: Fars News Agency, 2010-10-30


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