Tajikistan Road Corridors to Afghanistan
There are three viable corridors through Tajikistan that compare favorably overall with the existing rail corridor through Uzbekistan to Khairaton, Afghanistan based on current Uzbek railway tariffs.
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Khujand – Nijny Pyanj - Kunduz
Route |
Sariagash, Kazakhstan- Uzbekistan - Khujand – Dushanbe – Nijny Pyanj, Tajikistan / Shehon Bandar, Afghanistan (border) – Kunduz, Afghanistan |
|
---|---|---|
Total distance |
839 km |
Sariagash to Kunduz |
Transport mode |
Rail from Baltic or Black Sea ports, or from within Kazakhstan or Russia across Uzbekistan to Khujand province. Truck from Khujand to Nijny Pyanj and points within Afghanistan. |
n/a |
Transport time |
1.5 days |
7 days transit in Uzbekistan |
Per ton transport cost |
$85 per ton ($32 rail Sariagash – Khujand / $53 by truck to Nijny Pyanj |
Sariagash to Nijny Pyanj / Shehon Bandar |
This corridor involves railroad movement from Kazakhstan and transiting through Uzbekistan as far as Khujand province in northern Tajikistan. Rail transport 350 km from Sariagash on the Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan border is $32 per mt. At Spitamen or another station in Khujand province wheat from Kazakhstan is offloaded from hopper wagons either for bulk storage in silos or is transloaded in bulk in 30 to 35 mt trucks for movement southwards. Thanks to new tunnels and avalanche galleries, the toll highway over the two mountain passes from Khujand to Dushanbe (320 km) is now open year-round. Per mt trucking rates are $35 to Dushanbe. Onward movement another 200 km to Nijny Pyanj is only another $10 per mt due to the lack of tolls or high mountain passes.
From Dushanbe wheat or wheat flour can also be transported by truck via Kulyab to Khorog / Ishkashim in the Pamirs on the Afghanistan border. Favorable trucking rates from Dushanbe to ($30 per mt) should be possible due to the large number of 25 to 40 mt trucks returning empty via this route to China particularly in summer when there is high demand for building materials.
Distances from Khujand to Nijny Pyanj (km) |
|||||||||
|
Sariyagash |
Spitamen |
Khujand |
Dushanbe |
Kurgan-Tyube |
Nijny Pyanj |
Kunduz |
||
Sariyagash |
- |
320 |
356 |
646 |
742 |
839 |
899 |
||
Spitamen |
320 |
- |
36 |
313 |
412 |
519 |
579 |
||
Khujand |
356 |
36 |
- |
341 |
440 |
547 |
607 |
||
Dushanbe |
646 |
313 |
341 |
- |
99 |
206 |
266 |
||
Kurgan-Tyube |
742 |
412 |
440 |
99 |
- |
106 |
166 |
||
Nijny Pyanj |
839 |
519 |
547 |
206 |
106 |
- |
60 |
||
Kunduz |
899 |
579 |
607 |
266 |
166 |
60 |
- |
Bishkek – Osh –Nijny Pyanj or Ishkashim
Route |
Bishkek – Osh, Kyrgyzstan – Karamik pass, Tajikistan – Nijny Pyanj |
|
||||||||
Total distance |
n/a |
Bishkek – Nijny Pyanj |
||||||||
Transport mode |
Rail from Baltic or Black Sea ports, or from within Kazakhstan or Russia. Truck to Osh and to Tajikistan / Afghanistan |
n/a |
||||||||
Transport time |
3 days (approx.) |
n/a |
||||||||
Transport cost per mt |
n/a |
n/a |
The Bishkek – Osh route completely bypasses Uzbekistan. It
involves rail transport across Kazakhstan as far as Bishkek in
northern Kyrgyzstan where there is modern
and sufficient wheat storage
and milling capacity among private companies. Wheat and other goods
are moved on a good highway over mountain passes 672 km to Osh in
southern Kyrgyzstan and then into Tajikistan
via Karamik pass and through
the Rasht valley where much highway improvement is going on and
which is open year-round. The
highway
to Nijny Pyanj bypasses
Dushanbe 20 km to the east goes through
Kurgan Tyube.
From Osh via a mountain pass further east
commodity can also be trucked through the Pamirs
via Murghab to Khorog and Ishkashim on
the Afghanistan border with bridge crossings. This corridor
was mostly used
during the 1980s and 1990s by Russia to supply some regions of
Afghanistan. Today truck traffic from Kyrgyzstan via this corridor
is very light amounting to just a few trucks per
month.
According to Ministry of Transport
officials, to avoid the
high railroad tariffs for transit through Uzbekistan, the US
government used the Bishkek – Osh – Tajikistan - Afghanistan
corridor for movement of
450 mt of
non-military supplies.
Around 2004 or 2005, WFP moved
goods by rail from Riga to Osh, Uzbekistan and by truck
through Murghab to Khorog and
into Afghanistan
via Ishkashim to a WFP storage
facility there at the time.
Distances from Bishkek to Nijny Pyanj (km) |
|||||||
|
Bishkek |
Osh |
Karamik |
Vakhdat / Dushanbe |
Kurgan-Tyube |
Lower Pyanj |
Kunduz |
Bishkek |
- |
631 |
961 |
1293 |
1404 |
1510 |
1570 |
Osh |
631 |
- |
303 |
662 |
773 |
879 |
939 |
Karamik |
961 |
303 |
- |
374 |
561 |
642 |
702 |
Vakhdat / Dushanbe |
1293 |
662 |
374 |
- |
187 |
269 |
329 |
Kurgan-Tyube |
1404 |
773 |
561 |
187 |
- |
82 |
142 |
Nijny Pyanj |
1510 |
879 |
635 |
269 |
82 |
- |
60 |
Kunduz |
1570 |
939 |
695 |
329 |
142 |
60 |
- |
Kashgar, China – Nijny Pyanj/ Shehon Bandar
Route |
Kashgar – Kulma (border) – Murghab – Khorog – Kulyab – Nijny Pyanj - Kunduz |
|
Total distance |
1200 km |
3 mountain passes > 4100m |
Transport mode |
By rail to Kashgar or Urumchi. 25 to 40 mt Dulon trucks the entire distance or by 60 mt Fura trucks from Kashgar to terminals either in Murghab or at Tang 30 km before Khorog for transloading into 25 to 40 mt Dulon trucks. |
There are regular freight trains from Chinese ports to Urumchi taking about 5 days. |
Transport time |
3 -5 days |
Depends on border delays and winter road conditions but will get shorter. |
Transport cost per mt |
$110 (from Urumchi $190) |
$0.09 per km per mt |
The railroad connecting Xinjiang with deep sea ports in
eastern China ends in Kashgar. There
is a good highway on the Chinese side to the border
and a Chinese company
is currently improving the
highway from the border crossing
at Kulma to Murghab in
the
Pamirs (91 km). A
new customs terminal is being built
at Kulma, which will
reduce waits at the
border (currently up to 8
hours).
Trucks carrying
60 mt move goods
to two different terminals in the
Pamirs: Murghab and Tang (30
km northeast
of Khorog). Tajik
trucks of 25 or
40 mt capacity
receive goods transloaded at these terminals for movement to
Dushanbe via Khorog. Trucking time
from Kashgar to Khorog is
about 3 days.
From Khorog to Nijny Pyanj it requires
one long day per interviews with truck
drivers.
Other Tajikistan transportation companies send their 25 to
40 mt trucks
to Kashgar or even
to Urumchi. The round trip takes
about 10 days in winter including loading
in Kashgar and waiting
time at the
border. Highway improvements have reduced the
turnaround time from 14 days four years
ago. Continuing roadwork on various sections of
the route by Chinese, Iranian and Turkish companies, particularly
from Khorog to Kulyab will
reduce the trucking time by at least another
day.
Tajikistan’s largest trucking
company, Sorbonotrans, is a major
carrier
from Urumchi and Kashgar.
There is one Tajikistan trucking
company, Tojiron, that moves Chinese
goods in transit
from Kashgar across Tajikistan
to Nijny Pyanj.
This company reportedly does about 15 trucks of
40 mt per
month.
Truck volumes have increased in the last year or more and
should increase even more with the completion of roadwork and the
new customs terminal.
Relatively few goods move from China to Afghanistan via this
route since the main Chinese supply route is over the Karakorum
pass through Pakistan to Kabul.
The Kulma border point is
closed to international travelers for entry into China but it could
be opened once roadwork and the new customs terminal is
completed.
Distances from Urumchi to Lower Pyanj (km) |
|||||||||
|
Urumchi |
Kashgar |
Kulma |
Murghab |
Khorog |
Kulyab |
Nijny Pyanj |
Kunduz |
Ishkashim |
Urumchi |
- |
1000 |
1249 |
1340 |
1651 |
2079 |
2200 |
2260 |
1685 |
Kashgar |
1000 |
- |
249 |
340 |
651 |
1079 |
1200 |
1260 |
685 |
Kulma |
1249 |
249 |
- |
91 |
402 |
807 |
928 |
988 |
436 |
Murghab |
1340 |
340 |
91 |
- |
311 |
719 |
840 |
900 |
345 |
Khorog |
1651 |
651 |
402 |
311 |
- |
428 |
529 |
589 |
106 |
Kulyab |
2079 |
1079 |
807 |
719 |
428 |
- |
121 |
181 |
534 |
Nijny Pyanj |
2200 |
1200 |
928 |
840 |
529 |
121 |
- |
60 |
655 |
Kunduz |
2260 |
1260 |
988 |
940 |
629 |
221 |
100 |
- |
715 |
Ishkashim |
1685 |
685 |
436 |
345 |
106 |
534 |
655 |
715 |
- |
Tajikistan – Afghanistan border crossings
Tajik crossing point |
Afghan point |
Afghan road connection |
Comments |
Nijny Pyanj, Khatlon province |
Shehon Bandar, Kunduz province |
60 km south to Kunduz |
90% of Tajik – Afghan trade and crossings |
Farkhor, Khatlon province |
Tahak province |
n/a |
River ferry only |
Shurobad, GBAO |
Badakshan province |
Limited access only to local villages |
Not yet open. Used by Aga Khan Focus for delivery of WFP food |
Darvaz (Kalaikhum), GBAO |
Badakshan province |
Limited access only to local villages |
A few trucks per week to Afghanistan for trade. Saturday cross border market. |
Vanj / Tem, GBAO |
Badakshan province |
Limited access to local villages |
Not yet open. Used by Aga Khan Focus for delivery of WFP food |
Khorog, GBAO |
Badakshan province |
n/a |
A few trucks per week to Afghanistan for trade. Saturday cross border market. |
Ishkashim, GBAO |
Ishkashim, Badakshan province |
168 km west to Faizabad, Badakshan province |
Very limited transit trade from China and Kyrgyzstan. Saturday cross border market. |
There are four official border crossing points at bridges
over the Pyanj River between
Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and one river ferry
crossing. There
are two additional bridges
activation of the border
crossing currently pending.
Only two of
these, Nijny Pyanj to
the west and Ishkashim to the
east in the Pamirs
have sufficient road
connections for movement of goods to population centers and the
main road network within Afghanistan.
The other four crossing points are at bridges built over
the Pyanj River
near Khorog, Vanj, Darvaz and Shurobad. Vanj and Shurobad bridge
crossings have not yet opened though all customs facilities have
been built. Only Aga Khan Focus is given to access to these two
border crossings to deliver WFP food aid hauled in transit across
Tajikistan after entering
from Nijny Pyanj or Ishkashim.
These four bridge border crossings service only local areas
isolated from the rest of Afghanistan’s road
network.
Over 90% of trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is
via Nijny Pyanj and Shehon Bandar
crossing borders which is
linked by a good highway through
the Khatlon Valley with
Dushanbe and within Afghanistan to Kunduz 60 km to the south. In
2004 the United States built a bridge at this crossing point to
replace the river ferry as well as funding modern customs
facilities on both sides of the border including a truck scanner on
the Tajik side.
There is a certain volume of goods from other countries that
transit Tajikistan to
the Nijny Pyanj / Shehon Bandar
entry point. Monthly from 15 to 20 trucks of 25 to
40 mt operated by
a single Tajik
company, Tojiron arrive in
Kunduz and beyond from China via
the Kashgar – Murghab – Khorog – Kulyab corridor.
There is an indeterminate amount of transit traffic from Kyrgyzstan
and via Khujand province in the north.
Ishkashim crossing has much smaller volumes
of trade moving from Tajikistan. Chinese goods reach most of
Afghanistan via the Karakorum pass through Pakistan and to Kabul so
there are few if any large trucks transiting Tajikistan to
Afghanistan via Ishkashim. The road
from Ishkashim to Faisabad in
Afghanistan still needs much improvement. It has been closed in
2013 and 2014 to personnel of international organizations due to
security concerns.
There is transit movement of humanitarian goods, mainly food
supplied by WFP, from Faizabad, Afghanistan
via Ishakashim and from
Mazar Sherif via Nijny Pyanj to
the Pamir region of Tajikistan for reentry into Afghanistan across
the bridges
at Khorog and Darvaz.
Corridor Mountain passes
Kashgar – Nijny Pyanj via Murghab
Pass |
Elevation |
Between |
Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Ulugrabotdavron |
4098 |
Kashgar- Murghab |
n/a |
Kulma |
4362 |
Kashgar – Murghab |
n/a |
Chaman Tol |
3400 |
Murghab- Khorog |
n/a |
Nayzatosh |
4314 |
Murghab- Khorog |
n/a |
Tagharqaqi |
3800 |
Murghab- Khorog |
approximate |
Kuytezak |
4271 |
Murghab- Khorog |
n/a |
Haburabot |
3252 |
Darvaz- Dushanbe |
Alternate route |
Shuroobad |
2200 |
Darvaz - Kulyab |
approximate |
Shar-Shar |
2223 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
n/a |
Chormaghzak |
4430 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
Alternate route |
Kashgar – Kyrgyzstan – Karamik - Nijny Pyanj
Pass |
Elevation |
Between |
Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Touymorun |
3536 |
Kashgar - Karamik |
n/a |
Karamik |
4100 |
Karamik- Vakhdat |
approximate evaluation |
Shar-Shar |
2223 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
n/a |
Chormaghzak |
4430 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
n/a |
Bishkek- Karamik – Nijny Pyanj
Pass |
Elevation |
Between |
Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Too Assu |
3586 |
Bishkek – Osh |
n/a |
Ala Bel |
3184 |
Bishkek – Osh |
n/a |
Karamik |
4100 |
Karamik- Vakhdat |
approximate evaluation |
Shar-Shar |
2223 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
n/a |
Chormaghzak |
4430 |
Kulyab – Dushanbe |
n/a |
Khujand – Nijny Pyanj
Pass |
Elevation |
Between |
Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Shakhristan |
3378 |
Khujand - Aini |
n/a |
Anzob |
3372 |
Aini - Dushanbe |
n/a |
Fakhrobod |
1247 |
Dushanbe – Kurgantyube |
n/a |
Bishkek – Murghab - Khorog
Pass |
Elevation |
Between |
Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Too Assu |
3586 |
Bishkek – Osh |
n/a |
Ala Bel |
3184 |
Bishkek – Osh |
n/a |
Chigirchik |
2406 |
Osh – Murghab |
n/a |
Taldik |
3615 |
Osh – Murghab |
n/a |
Kyzil Art |
4280 |
Osh – Murghab |
n/a |
Oqbaital |
4655 |
Osh – Murghab |
n/a |
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
Name of Border Crossing
|
Tajikistan
Country #1: Tajikistan |
Province or District |
Khorog |
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Khorog 200 Km |
Travel Times |
|
Nearest International Airport |
Khorog Distance in km 200 Truck Travel Time: 12 hrs Car Travel time: 5 hrs |
Hours of Operation |
|
Mondays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Tuesdays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Wednesdays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Thursdays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Fridays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Saturdays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Sundays |
8:00 – 17:00 |
Seasonal Constraints |
Winter months December to March, rainy season, etc. |