Afghanistan’s railways

Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif railway management contracts planned

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Afghanistan Reconstruction & Development Services has published the Afghanistan Railway Authority’s invitation for expressions of interest in three contracts covering the operation, maintenance and management of the Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif railway.

Responses from “experienced, high caliber and competent national and international rail operating, maintenance and management companies” should be submitted to the Ministry of Public Works by 5:00 pm local time on 15 November 2014.

Soliciting expressions of interest is the first step of a possible bidding process. Evaluation would be conducted internally within AfRA/MPW according to Afghan procurement law and procedures. Companies which are shortlisted would be invited to submit their proposals.

The invitation document says the Hairatan to Mazar-i-Sharif railway comprises 75 km of main line and 63 km of loop line, a total of 138 km, which “went into operation in December 2011 and has been successfully operated, maintained and managed.”

The performance-based operation and maintenance services would include but not be limited to:

  • Quantification of assets and characteristics of the railway system
  • Required Operations services
  • Required Infrastructure Maintenance services
  • Required Management services
  • Technical specifications and standards
  • Necessary equipment for proactive for operations and maintenance
  • Performance standards, including benchmarks of operational, rolling stock, and infrastructure asset maintenance; targets of goods to be transported per year; maintenance of infrastructure; correction of defective maintenance; type and availability of trains; procedures for delays, accidents, and incidents; and locomotive and wagon maintenance.
  • Outline of the revenue account for revenue deposits, maintained by the operator and transferred at fixed intervals to the owner
  • Quality management to meet best industry standards of O&M
  • Performance securities and insurance
  • Format of a summary of usage report to record operator activities performed
  • Establishment of an operating account, outlining costs and revenues
  • Environmental management plan
  • Description of force majeure events, conditions, or circumstances
  • Training for staff on O&M
  • Dispute resolution mechanism

Interested companies should demonstrate:

  1. 10 Years Similar experience in Rail operations, Management and Maintenance of 1520 mm and/or 1435 mm gauges railway lines.
  2. Reasonable and adequate financial resources
  3. Regional experience and joint-venture with national firms is plus
  4. Human resource capacity to operate, manage and carry out infrastructure maintenance
  5. Adequate machinery, rolling-stock, tools and equipment
  6. Good performance record
  7. Companies are advised to provide only materials that are specific to the proposed service as to avoid submitting generic promotional material.

The call for expression of interest also gives AfRA’s description of itself:

Afghanistan Railway Authority (AfRA) is the governing body for all railway planning, development, network, operations and maintenance in Afghanistan.

Based on our vision of long-term rail development, we will ensure all rail stakeholders are, committed to the safety of employees, customers and the public. We feel that a progressive railway network can be operated with integrity, having concern and consideration for our neighbors, the local community, and the environment.

We stand committed to the safe and efficient movement of resources, goods, humans, animals and information material to, from, and through Afghanistan by developing an integrated National Railway Plan, sustainable policies, safety and operational regulations as well as becoming a contributing member of regional and international partnerships.

The AfRA is responsible for legal and regulatory policies governing rail investment, development, and operations. This includes the regulatory oversight needed for a safe, efficient, and reliable rail network. The AfRA is also the sole governing body in charge of planning, survey, design, construction and operations of the entire railway lines in Afghanistan. AfRA will ensure railway companies and stakeholders are engaged corporate citizens, committed to the safety of employees, customers and the public.

Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Tajikistan line needs money and security

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

“Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan Railway project to be completed soon if challenges addressed“, reports the Afghanistan Times on 1 November 2014, citing the head of the Afghanistan Railway Authority speaking in an interview with Radio Azadi.

However those “challenges” are the perhaps non-trivial matters of security and funding, and two years sounds like it would be pretty good going for building 495 km of new railway.

According to the report:

  • Yama Shams, General Director & CEO of the Afghanistan Railway Authority, told Radio Azadi that “Engineers and workers of the project are faced with serious problems in areas from Mazar-i-Sharif city to Andkhoy. This area is insecure. They cannot work after 4pm. Our staffers have not been attacked yet but they are under security threat.”
  • Studies have been completed for the 220 km section of line from Mazar-i-Sharif to Andkhoy (where it would meet the line from Turkmenistan). Studies for the next 275 km (presumably the link to Tajikistan) would be completed in 2015.
  • The project could be completed in the next two years if the workers were provided with security and financial support.
  • The total project covers a 635 km route from Aqina near the border with Turkmenistan to Andkhoy, Sheberghan, Mazar-i-Sharif, Khulm, Kunduz and Shirkhan Bandar, ending at Kalkhor Abad (Kolkhozabad) in Tajikistan. This suggests that going via Shirkhan Bandar rather than a shorter route to the Tajik border is back on the agenda.


View Turkmenistan – Andkhoy railway plan in a larger map

Herat’s influentials want the railway

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

The “influentials of Herat province” have asked for the completion of various projects including the new railway, according to a 14 October 2014 announcement from the new President.

President Ahmadzai: We Will Turn Herat into a Transit City

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai spoke this morning with the influentials of Herat province via a video conference.

At the video conference, Herat Governor and the influentials of that province congratulated President Ahmadzai on his victory in the elections and talked about their problems and demands in economic and educational arenas.

They have also asked for completion of various projects including Herat International Airport, railroad, Herat University, ring road and linking roads of the provincial center with its districts and handover of Salma dam for utilization.

[…]

President Ahmadzai hoped that Herat province would turn into a transit route and a linking brigde in Asia.

[More…]

Afghan railway station codes created

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

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

The Duchess of Pantulicon and the Candahar – Cabul Tramway

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

From the 1879 novel The Honourable Ella, A Tale of Foxshire, page 96, Book III, by William Ulick O’Connor Cuffe, 4th Earl of Desart.

As far as I know there never was a Candahar-Cabul Tramway Company (Limited)…

Of course Lord Lorton found no difficulty
in suiting himself with dinner companions
at the Club, and, as it happened, the men
near whom he sat were all of that new-
class which has lately sprung up in Lon-
don ; the mixture of man of fashion with
man of business — half Belgrave Square,
half Stock Exchange — one pocket full of
invitations to balls, the other stuffed with
coupons and bills at three months ; swells
in the City ; City men in the West End ;
laughed at in Capel Court because of their
fine-gentlemanism, and in Hyde Park be-
cause of their money-grubbing ; the mules
of social life, of no particular breed, but
useful ; not quite so good-looking as horses,
and not quite so ugly as asses. Dining
with Alderman Grundy, they talk of the
Duchess of Pantulicon’s last little party.
Dining with Her Grace, they awe her by
their intimate knowledge of the remote
future of the Candahar-Cabul Tramway
Company (Limited). A grand invention
of our “idle day,” but liable to wear out.
And there are some so dense as not to
regret this want of stability !

In Afghanistan there are several 2 ft gauge railways…

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

A very interesting claim that there were some 2 foot gauge railways in Afghanistan in 1894 (one may have been at the Mashin Khana royal arsenal in Kabul).

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE.
Narrow-gauge railways.
Wednesday, 25th July, 1894.
J Harris in the Chair:
This 2-ft. line is also established in Madagascar where the French rule, it is also in Afghanistan, Turkestan, and Siberia. It was introduced there by Skobeloff. When he was meditating the invasion of India he had this introduced, and I may state that the Russian troops were seen using one of those railways on the frontier for military purposes before the British knew anything about it. When the outposts observed it they reported it to the Commander-in-Chief and he telegraphed to the War Office. The War Office ordered railways of this sort to be sent out straight. They were sent over mountains on the backs of elephants to the frontier. In Afghanistan there are several 2-ft. railways.
Source: Narrow-gauge railways, Minutes of Evidence at the railway standing committee, Victoria, Australia.

1950s Kabul electric tram plan

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

In November 1950 Machinery Lloyd reported:

Tramways for Kabul

Preliminary plans have been worked out for the development of an electric tramway system for Kabul which should open possibilities for the sale of British equipment. The pro
Source: Machinery Lloyd, p151, 25 November 1950, Volume 22 Issue 3, Continental & Overseas Organisation Ltd

Google Books doesn’t show any more of the article than this snippet.

And not long afterwards, Foreign Commerce Weekly said:

A tramway company for Kabul was formed in August to develop an electric trolley service when current is available with the completion of the Sarobi power project.
Source: Foreign Commerce Weekly, p15, 19 February 1951, Volumes 42 No 8, US Department of Commerce

Kabul never got an electric tramway, however it did have a trolleybus system, with Czechoslovakian equipment.

1950s Afghan coal mine film

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

“1950s Afghanistan Coal Mine, Miners At Work, Industry – Rare 16mm Footage” from Kinolibrary, which is “an independent archive film agency based in East London. Supplying high quality, rare and inspiring archive footage to documentary makers, ad agencies and museums”.

The video features some narrow gauge V-tipper wagons.