NOTE: the flag shown here is that of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the de facto government of the country since 2021, although not internationally recognized.
From the early days, Afghanistan has been a tempting vision for railway planners, having at one time been seen as a potential overland route between Europe and India via Russia, avoiding the long sea journey. Termez in Uzbekistan is just a tantalizing 400km (250 miles) from Landi Kotal in Pakistan, near the Khyber Pass. Both these places were rail served by the early part of the 20th century, and as a bonus the proposed line would pass through the Afghan capital of city Kabul. Some major engineering work would be required, including a long tunnel under the Hindu Kush, but nothing that was beyond the technology of the time.
But the political situation in Afghanistan during the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century was volatile, to say the least. There was internal unrest and several periods of open warfare with neighbouring British India. By the 1920s, Afghanistan was a somewhat more stable country, but Russia was now under a communist government that was unlikely to be sympathetic to commercial through traffic between what it saw as imperialist countries.
During this period, the Afghan rulers did commission some work to be done on a proposed railway system for internal communications. A German firm was contracted to do various surveys and preliminary work. However, the only railway that was actually built in this period was a 7km, 2ft 6in (762mm) gauge, steam hauled roadside tramway that operated for a few years between Kabul and Darulaman. The locomotives are reported to be still in existence, though in poor condition, at the Kabul museum.
In the 1950s several small narrow-gauge industrial railways were opened. Some of these used locomotive haulage, others hand propelled wagons on rails. A couple of hand worked operations survive at coal mines, one of which is reported to have used electric traction at one time. Apart from these lines there was no further railway development until at least the 1960s.
The Soviet Union built two rail lines using the Russian standard gauge of 1520mm, to connect their own system with Afghanistan. Both lines crossed the Amu Darya river into Afghanistan itself, but were not extended further. The date of opening of the line to Towraghondi is not known, but probably sometime in the 1960s. The line to Hairatan opened officially in 1982 following completion of the Friendship Bridge the previous year. Both lines fell out of use following the Soviet withdrawal. The Friendship Bridge at Hairatan was reopened in 2001, and that at Towraghondi in 2007.
Thus for several years the Afghan railway system consisted of just 0.8 route km of 1520mm gauge track at these two railheads, operated by Uzbekistan Railways at Hairatan and Turkmen Railways at Towraghondi. A new line from the Hairatan railhead to Naiabad, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a distance of about 75km, opened for commercial service in 2012, operated by Uzbekistan Railways under contract to the Afghan government. Operation ceased following conflict damage to the line but resumed from 2024.
In 2016, a new cross-border was established from a link with Turkmen Railways at Ymam Nazar to Akina, about 3km inside Afghanistan. An 24km extension from Akina to Andkhoy opened in 2021. In 2024, expressions of interest were invited for survey and design of a further 55km extension from Andkhoy to Shebergan.
In 2018, Tajikistan Railways proposed a new line from their network at Balkh (formerly Kolkhozobod) via the Tajik border town of Panji Poyon, crossing the Afghan border to Sher Khan Bandar. In 2024, funding was approved for construction from Balkh to Panji Poyon, but not including cross-border link. However, it is envisaged that the link could become important in future as part of a long distance route between Iran and China.
In 2020, a new standard (1435mm) gauge line was opened from a connection at the Iranian border with a recently completed line from Mashhad, Iran, for a distance of 63km new line to Rozanak. In 2024, construction began on a 62km extension to Herat; this section is expected to open in 2025. A further extension to Mazr-i-Sharif has been proposed but may be redundant if the planned Uzbekistan Railways line of the same route is completed.
In early 2021, a tripartite agreement was signed between the governments of Pakistan, Uzbekistan and the then government of Afghanistan to explore and survey the route of a new railway extending the line from Uzbekistan at Mazr-i-Sharif via Kabul to Peshawar, Pakistan. The new line would be 573km in length, and would also connect with the railway from Turkmenistan at Andkhoy. In 2022, the agreement was ratified by the Taliban administration of Afghanistan. In 2023, a further agreement was signed confirming the intended route of the line.
In 2024, surveying commenced for a 115km extension of the 1520mm gauge line from Turkmenistan at Towraghondi to Herat. Foundations were laid for the first 22km as far as Sangbor.
In 2025, it was announced that an agreement had been reached with Uzbekistan Railways to build a 1520mm gauge line from Mazr-i-Sharif to Herat.
In 2025, contracts were let for the survey and detailed design of a new 735km line from Herat to Kandahar. This would connect with either or both the Uzbekistan Railways and Turkmen Railways lines. An extension from Kandahar to Pakistan is proposed; surveys for the 96km section from Kandahar to Spin Boldak, near the Pakistan border, were completed in 2024.
Also in 2025, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Kazakhstan, which will give that country an interest in the construction of new lines, specifically the Towraghondi to Herat and Herat to Spin Boldak lines, alongside Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Iran proposes to extend its recently completed line between Chabahar and Zahedan to the Afghan border near Zaranj. A line from Zaranj to Kandahar has already been surveyed.
© 2004-2026 Glyn Williams
Photo image: Turkmen Railways