Afghanistan
2.4 Afghanistan Railway Assessment
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Overview

Afghanistan's rail network is still in the developing stage. The current rail lines connect neighbouring countries in the north with short stretches in Afghanistan.

The three lines are: Mazar-i-Sharif and the border town of Hairatan in Balkh province, which then connects with the rail network of neighbouring Uzbekistan. The second links Toraghundi in Herat province with Serhetabat in Turkmenistan. The third is between Aqina in Faryab province and neighbouring Turkmenistan. The country currently lacks a passenger rail service. All routes may experience delays during the winter season.


1.Hairatan-Uzbekistan Rail: The railway line connects Hairatan on the Uzbekistan-Afghan border to the city of Mazar-I-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The railroad is a 1,520mm standard gauge with passing loops at every 20km. The railway line between Termez (Uzbekistan) and Hairatan (Afghanistan) operates nonstop throughout the year with no seasonal hindrance.

Hairatan railway station handling equipment

 

2.Torghundi-Turkmenistan Rail: Torghundi is connected by a road and a 1520 mm gauge railroad with Serhetabat. The railroad was originally built in 1960 as a single track and was upgraded in 2017. Torghundi has become the starting point of the Lapis-Lazuli trade route linking Afghanistan to Turkey via Turkmenistan. The Torghundi railway Station is located 120 km north of Heart city and about 300 meters from the zero point from the border with Turkmenistan. It takes 1.5 hours by car and 2.5 hours by truck to drive from the border to Herat city.

Torghundi- Serhetabat Railway Line


3. Aqina-Turkmenistan Rail: Aqina is the southern terminus of a railway line via Imamnazar to Kerki in Turkmenistan. Aqina itself is located in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan near the border with Turkmenistan. The 30 km railway line connects the Aqina port with Andkhoi in Turkmenistan.

4. Rahzanak Railway Station: Located 74kms west of the city of Herat at GPS coordinates 34.440833, 61.491667 in Herat Province. The entrance to the station is about 100 meters off the main tarmac road connecting Herat city and Islam Qala border crossing. All types of vehicles, trucks and heavy machineries can access the railway station easily. The closest border crossing to the station is the Islam Qala crossing between Iran and Afghanistan and the closest airport is the Herat Airport. It takes about 1 hour to reach Rahzanak railway station by car and approximately 1.5 hours by truck from Herat city. Rahzanak railway station is part of the Khaf-Herat Railway Project which was initially planned to be 225kms long cross-border railway between Iran and Afghanistan, linking eastern Iran to western Afghanistan. The Khaf-Herat line is a single-track standard-gauge railway with a track gauge of 1,435mm and heads south from Khaf and proceeds east, across a rugged and arid landscape. The maximum speed is expected to be 120km/h for freight trains and 160km/h for passenger trains, while the axle load is up to 25mt. Delays can be expected during the winter season; however, currently this railway station is not operational due to damage to its infrastructure and equipment. There is no clear timeline when it will be rehabilitated. 

Rahzanak Railway Station


Warehouse at Rahzanak Station


Hairatan Railway Station

Estimated throughput capacity at the railway station (MT or wagons):

Up to 300 wagons per day (60-68 MT per wagon)

Handling Capacity

Equipment operational?

Number of operational Units

Comments

Hand loading/offloading

Yes

N/A

N/A

Reach stacker, Top loader

Yes

Yes


Grain Elevator

No

N/A


Forklift

Yes

Yes


Crane

Yes

Yes

60 MT capacity

Bagging Equipment

No

No

Only manual bagging between 30-40 wagons per day

Warehouse MHE (hand cart, pallet truck, etc)

Yes

Yes

N/A

Other comments on handling capacity:

The railway station has three ports within proximity of each other and all of them are well equipped.



Storage Type

Y/N?

Estimated Capacities

Comments

Container Yard

Yes

3000 TEU's

Possible to store up to 3000 containers in the railway station yard.

Reefer Connections

No

N/A

Not operational

Silo Facilities

No

N/A

No silo facility to store bulk commodities

Covered Warehouse

Yes

Combined space of 36,550 m2

Bonded

Yes

Climate Controlled

No

Cold storage

No

Security:         

  Fence       

  Guards    

  Light       

  Alert Procedures     

  Fire truck/response crew     

Communications

Other Comments

Connected to other transport

Road

Other general comments:

 

 

The railway station has up to 600 staff operating at any given day. The railway line has five ports inside Afghanistan, but two of them which are located outside of Hairatan are not operational. (One station is on the way to Mazar-I-Sharif and another station at Mazar-I-Sharif airport).

The railway station provides 15 days of free storage service. After 15 days, consignee is required to pay storage fee. Storage capacity of the three ports is as follows:

  1. 7500 m2 (1500 m2 X 5) corrugated sheet storage structure.
  2. 11550 m2 (1650 m2 X 7) concrete storage structure.
  3. 17500 m2 (2500 m2 X 7)



Torghundi Railway Station

Estimated throughput capacity at the railway station (MT or wagons):

An average of 25 wagons per day with one train. Each wagon has capacity of up to 65 MT if loaded with bagged commodities.

Handling Capacity

Equipment operational?

Number of operational Units

Comments

Hand loading/offloading

Yes

N/A

N/A

Reach-stacker, Top-loader

Yes

Yes

N/A

Grain Elevator

No

No


Forklift

Yes

Yes


Crane

Yes

Yes


Bagging Equipment

No

No

Manpower available for bagging

Warehouse MHE (hand cart, pallet truck, etc)

Yes

Yes


Other comments on handling capacity:

Different varieties of crane are available on site.

Storage Type

Y/N?

Estimated Capacities

Comments

Container Yard

Yes

200 TEUs

Open area available to keep containers on site.

Reefer Connections

Yes

-

Available to setup line and connect reefer containers upon request

Silo Facilities

No

None

N/A

Covered Warehouse

Yes 10,000 m2

Bonded

Yes

10,000 m2

All storage facilities are bonded.

Climate Controlled

No

None

N/A

Cold storage

No

None N/A

Security:         

☒  Fence

☒  Guards

☒  Light

☒  Alert Procedures

☒  Fire truck/response crew

☒  Communications



Other Comments

Connected to other transport

Station is connected to the Herat – Torghundi highway.



Rahzanak Railway Station

Estimated throughput capacity at the railway station (MT or wagons per hour):

Station is not operational

Handling Capacity

Equipment operational?

Number of operational units

Comments

Hand loading/offloading

No

N/A

There is no equipment at the station.

Reach-stacker, Top-loader

No

No

None

Grain Elevator

No

No

None

Forklift

No

No

None

Crane

No

No

None

Bagging Equipment

No

No

None

Warehouse MHE (hand cart, pallet truck, etc)

No

No

None

Other comments on handling capacity:

Permanent covered storage structure is present. No equipment on-site.

Storage Type

Y/N

Estimated Capacities

Comments

Container Yard

Yes

30-40 TEUs

Open area available to keep containers on site.

Reefer Connections

No

None

Station appears to be connected to an electric grid, but currently there is no electricity on site.

Silo Facilities

No

None

No silo facility present

Covered Warehouse

Yes

1600 m2


Two covered storage facilities present; each with dimension of 40 m x 20 m x5 m

Bonded

Undetermined

Undetermined

It is not clear if the two storage facilities on site are bonded or not.

Climate Controlled

No

None

N/A

Cold storage

No

None

N/A

Security:

☒  Fence

Other Comments

No guards, light, communication or first responders on site.

Connected to other transport

Road. Station is connected to the Herat – Islam Qala highway.

Other general comments:

Railway line around the station is intact. The station main building structure has been damaged.

The two permanent covered warehouse structure are intact but there is no warehouse equipment present for loading, offloading and stacking cargo. Mobile network works around the station.

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