Construction of Mazar-I – Sharif – Kabul-Peshawar railway to accelerate

February 2 is expected to see the Uzbek-Afghan-Pakistani high-level talks in Tashkent with the participation of the heads of key international financial institutions. The event will be dedicated to the implementation of the Mazar-i – Sharif – Kabul-Peshawar railway construction project.

A joint Action Plan ("Road Map") for the construction of the railway is to be adopted following the negotiations.

It will provide for the organization of a joint international expedition to trace the route of the future railway, conduct geodetic, hydrogeological and topographic studies.

The parties will also agree on the development of a preliminary feasibility study of the project, financing mechanisms for pre-project studies and the early start of construction of the railway.

The event is a logical continuation of a series of negotiations at the highest, following which, on December 29, 2020, the heads of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan sent a joint appeal to international financial institutions with a proposal to support the construction of the Mazar-i – Sharif – Kabul-Peshawar railway.

So far, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, European Bank for reconstruction and development, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, International Finance Corporation have expressed high interest in the joint implementation of the project.