There are photographs of the railway across the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border at www.wuestenfuchs.com, the website of Norbert Ratzke of Köln who was in Herat from January to April 2004.

The pictures show a 1520 mm gauge diesel loco (half of a 2ТЭ10Л?) crossing the border, and the freight yard at Towraghondi.

• Photos of Turkmenistan railways 01
• Photos of Turkmenistan railways 02
• Afghanistan/Turkmenistan border checkpoint and warehouses

There is no railway transport in the country. At the Turkmen-Afghan border a Russian train runs about 500 meters on Afghan territory. There it is unloaded and returns to Turkmenistan.

In 2007 Turkmenistan launched a USD 550 000 programme to upgrade the line.

The 2 km cross-border railway between Turkmenistan and the Torghundi freight terminal is once again operational, reports Turkmenistan.ru, after being “fully reconstructed by the Turkmen specialists in the shortest time” at cost of USD550,000.¹.

In early July Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had signed a decree under which Turkmenistan would “overhaul” the railway at its own expense, “with the aim to further develop and strengthen good neighborly relations and to provide assistance to the Afghan people in restoration of the national economy”. The Ministry of Railway Transport told Turkmenistan.ru that the work included replacing “out-of date equipment and mechanisms”

Festivities to mark the reopening of the line were held in Turgundi and Serhetabat. The Afghan side was represented by Governor of Herat province Seyit Hoseyin Anvari, top management of the province’s Chamber of Commerce, staff from the Afghan embassy and representatives of the Turkmen diaspora living in the border regions of Afghanistan. The Turkmen delegation was led by Minister of Railway Transport Deryaguly Muhammetguliev.

References

Turkmenistan starts reconstruction of Afghan railway

A ceremony of launching the reconstruction of a 2 km section of the railway in the territory of Afghanistan that runs into the territory of Turkmenistan was held in Afghan Turgundi and Turkmen Serhetabat towns yesterday. As is known, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov put forward this initiative during his recent meeting with Afghan President Khamid Karzai. The initiative relates to the overhaul of the railway including full replacement of mechanisms and equipment at the expense of Turkmenistan including financing of works for the total value of US$ 550,000.

As the Turkmenistan.ru’s correspondent reports, after laying the first symbolic pair of sleepers in the Afghan territory in Turgundi the similar ceremony was held in Serhetabat. The ceremonies were attended by the delegations of two countries. Public Affairs Minister Sohrab Ali Safari, Minister of Labor and Social Security and on Disabled and Shaheed Affairs Nurmuhammet Garkyn, Governor of Herat Seyit Hoseyin Anvari, Afghan Ambassador to Turkmenistan Abdulkarim Haddam represented the Afghan side. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of bordering Afghan settlements where ethnic Turkmens live. Turkmen Minister of Railway Transport Deryaguly Muhammetguliev led the Turkmen delegation.

from TURKMENISTAN.RU 2007-07-12.

This cross-border line was originally built by the USSR to support its forces after their invasion of Afghanistan. The line stretches for around 9.6 km from Kushka in Turkmenistan to Towraghondi. The route is parallel to the Amu-Darya river on the Soviet side, which made it vunerable to cross-border sabotage and military attack during the Soviet-Afghan war. The line fell out of use sometime around the time of the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

Turkmen Railways to Provide Gratuitous Assistance to Afghanistan

The Ministry of railways of Turkmenistan will construct a railway line in Afghanistan at its own expense.

The cost of the project is USD 5.5 Mln, reports Railway Market-CEE Review referrin to Altaqata.

As the Ashgabat correspondent of Turkmenistan.ru reports quoting the press service of the head of state, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree to this effect “with a view to further developing and strengthening the neighborly relations between Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as well as providing assistance to the people of Afghanistan in reconstruction of the national economy.”

from RZD Partner 2007-07-13.