Islamabad-Dushanbe flights will start by March: Tajik envoy
[…]
The ambassador [of Tajikistan to Pakistan, Zubaydullo N Zubaydov] said that he would like to acknowledge that at the London Conference held on January 28, 2010 on providing stability and security in Afghanistan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan announced that Tajik side has offered construction of railway and gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as building of power transmission lines from Turkmenistan to North Afghanistan and Tajikistan, building Dashti Joom Hydropower Dam at the Tajik-Afghan border. “It will help the normalisation of the situation and restoration of the economic life in Afghanistan”, he added.
Source: Business Recorder, 2010-02-05
Author: Andrew Grantham
Russian discussion
Russian language-discussion of Afghan railways, via Google Translate
It looks like I need to find a copy of the book Выполняя Интернациональный Долг (and learn Russian).
Yes, the branch Kushka-Toragundi there a long time. I have personally seen covered freight wagons in the WCD Toragundi, when he served in Afghanistan, in 1986 and I have a small book (authorship, not mine) “In carrying out international duty”, where this branch is a little described. There an interview with a citizen of Afghanistan, a switchman employed on this road. There is in this book and excellent photo (h / b) TEM-2 diesel locomotive with a banner “Friendship with the Soviet and the Afghan people can not be undermined!
Павел Егерев 17.08.2009 01:31
Also a Ferghana article dated 4 December 2009 Why does Afghanistan need railroad?, looking at the background to the Uzbek – Afghan rail link.
Uzbek bottleneck on the Northern Distribution Network
AFGHANISTAN: WASHINGTON EXPLORING CHINESE RE-SUPPLY ROUTE
Deirdre Tynan 2/02/10
[…]
On land, the NDN also appears to be experiencing some problems. Although the US Department of Defense insists the NDN is running at top capacity, Dmitri Rogozin, Russia’s mischievous envoy to NATO, told the Russian news paper Izvestia on January 26 that “there are some technical problems associated with an overload on one of the railway routes.”Experts caution that additional land routes, whether routed through China or eastern Russia, could ultimately face the same problem — a bottleneck in Uzbekistan. “The problem isn’t the route to Central Asia, it is getting across Uzbekistan [to Afghanistan]. So you can have 10 ways to get to Termez, but what’s the difference?” a well-placed source told EurasiaNet.
Until major upgrades are completed at the Termez-Hairaton border crossing, and action taken to contain corruption and red tape, Uzbekistan is likely to continue to act as a choke point for US and NATO supplies bound for Afghanistan, the source added.
Source: Eurasianet , 2010-02-20
NATO transit traffic
From Russian Transport Daily Report, 1 February 2010:
NATO Cargo Transit through Russia May Start within Days
Railway transit of non-lethal NATO freight through Russia and Central Asia to NATO forces in Afghanistan may start within days. This would seriously supplement transportation through the main transit route, which passes through Pakistan. Pakistan will most likely remain the main transit route for the foreseeable future. Cargo to be transported through Russia and Kazakhstan will not include weapons or ammunition. A transit deal with Russia signed in 2008 needed approval from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries to come into force.
Source: Interfax News Agency
Photos of the Bolan Pass line
Some 1890 photographs of the Bolan Pass line in what is now Pakistan, at Railways of the Raj.
On his return to India, William secured employment with the North Western Railway as Engineer, and was engaged in reconstructing the railway on the Bolan Pass to Quetta. This line, seen in the picture alongside dating back to 1890, originally laid along valleys, was often washed away in flash floods, and the only way was to raise the track to a height. The credit of handling this onerous task goes to William, and a station called Edgenuga was named after him.
…The pictures you see here are all from William’s album, which David has shared with us. Thank you David for the superb pictures, you sure deserve a treat !!
Update: Part two.
Work starts on Mazar-i-Sharif line
Uzbek national railway UTY has begun construction of the Hayratan to Mazar-i-Sharif railway.
Construction of Afghan railway launched
AFGHANISTAN: A ceremony on January 22 marked the start of construction of a 75 km rail link from Uzbekistan to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The line is being built by Uzbek national railway UTY, which said it will be ‘a vivid testimony to the friendly relations between the two countries.’
More
Source: Railway Gazette International, 2010-01-27
Quetta to Kandahar feasibility study
Feasibility report of starting railway service from Quetta to Kandahar okayed
QUETTA: The feasibility report of starting railway service from Quetta to Kandahar has been prepared and sent to the Afghan government and its response is awaited.
This was stated by deputy superintendent of Pakistan Railway Balochistan while addressing a press conference at his office here on Saturday.
More…
Source: Online-International News Network, 2010-01-17
This is the Chaman – Spin Boldak – Kandahar line, which has been under discussion for a very long time.
Job opportunity
Anyone fancy a two-year job as Project Director on the Mazar-i-Sharif railway extension?
Some photos of Hayratan
Some June 2008 photos of Hayratan by Mathias Schroeder.
And some March 2007 photos of the Friendship Bridge by Conrad Blything
- Friendship Bridge Uzbekistan & Afghanistan Border – in case anyone is passing, a comment on the page adds “if you like to visit this place you can find tasty fried fish with cold drinks at river Amo side”.
- Friendship Bridge, Afghanistan looking Towards Uzbekistan
Computer failure
I’ve had a bit of a computer failure. A new hard drive is now installed and hopefully things will be recoverable, but if anyone has e-mailed me in the past month or so and not had a reply, it might be worth re-sending.