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All Aboard! Afghanistan, Iran Open First Rail Link

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - Afghanistan and Iran Thursday inaugurated the first railway
   link between them, expressing hope the landmark move will boost trade
   and travel links across the region.
   The 225-kilometer line connects the eastern Iranian city of Khaf to the
   western Afghan city of Herat, providing a crucial transport link to
   landlocked Afghanistan, which is ravaged by several decades of war.
   Attaullah Nasib is the director of a government agency known as the
   Afghanistan Investment Facilitation Unit, which helps foster business
   ventures in the country. Nasib told the inaugural ceremony, held
   virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, that his country was
   currently connected to the railway networks of central Asia all the way
   to China. The Khaf-Herat line, Nasib said, would provide Afghan traders
   with access to Iran's railroads and seaports as well as to the rail
   networks of European countries.
   "The railway station inaugurated here today'Świll enhance Afghanistan's
   economy, with a focus on long-term strategic economic development to
   increase domestic growth, regional stability, and promote a positive
   economic environment, which will foster private investment," he said.
   Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan
   Rouhani, also addressed Thursday's virtual opening ceremony, which saw
   cargo trains depart from opposite ends of the line.

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