KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan Railways Authority (ARA) officials and their regional counterparts have discussed the operational launch of the Herat-Kandahar railway, reduction in transit costs for goods via China and Kazakhstan and the start of economic studies for the Trans-Afghan railway project.

Deputy Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mawlawi Mohammad Ishaq Sahabzada led a delegation representing Afghanistan at the Transport and Logistics International Forum and Exhibition in Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) wrote on its X handle.

The exhibition, hosted in Tashkent from November 11 to 13, brought together officials from regional and international countries, as well as relevant railway companies, to showcase projects, achievements and new technologies in the transport and logistics sector.

On the sidelines of the event, Mawlawi Sahabzada held separate meetings with officials from the railway administration of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the chairman and first deputy of Uzbekistan Railways and representatives of countries involved in the Trans-Afghan project.

The discussions focused on the construction and operational launch of the Herat–Kandahar railway, reducing transit costs for Afghan trade goods from China via Kazakhstan and vice versa, launching technical and economic studies of the Trans-Afghan project, and facilitating trade through Uzbekistan's railway system.

The meetings also emphasised strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with all parties agreeing to continued collaboration in developing transport infrastructure and increasing the movement of goods via railway.

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