Working group finalizes route of Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railways Project

ISLAMABAD: The route of Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway track project has been finalized and its joint protocol will be signed in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The route was finalized during a meeting of the trilateral Working Group of the three countries in Islamabad, the Radio Pakistan has reported.

The key objective of this project is to build a missing rail link by connecting the three countries. The route for this connection will pass through Termiz in Uzbekistan, Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar in Afghanistan, and culminate in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram tribal district.

The railway project would not only facilitate regional, transit and bilateral trade amongst the three countries but also provide better people-to-people connections to the entire region.

The railway line would support passenger as well as freight services and contribute to regional trade and economic growth.

This route was finalised in the second meeting of a trilateral working group of the three countries on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) railways project.

The Ministry of Railways, in an announcement following the meeting, stated that the UAP railway project would not only facilitate regional, transit, and bilateral trade among participating countries, but would also provide better people-to-people connections in the entire region.

The line will support both passenger and freight services and would contribute to regional trade and economic growth, the statement said. The three countries also agreed on a roadmap for conducting technical studies, financing sources, and other key aspects for the early implementation of the project. The countries appreciated the professional work of the experts of the three railway networks in achieving a consensus on the final route and its implementation modalities. – News Agencies