Iran to Afghanistan railway link

The issue was raised by Nikzad in a meeting with Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov here in Tehran on Sunday. Nikzad called on the Tajik official to provide the needed maps for the Iranian company in charge of the feasibility studies of the project in a bid to enable Metra company to wrap of work and present the results by the next three months. The Iranian company, Metra, is conducting the feasibility study for the construction of a Tajik stretch of a rail link that will connect Kashgar (China) and Herat (Afghanistan). "The railway which is 392-km long will connect Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, and will boost expansion of trade ties, increase exports and decrease transit costs among these countries and will facilitate transport of cargo and passenger in the region," Nikzad underscored. In addition to the rail link, Iran seeks other links with China and the Central Asia. In 2010, Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said the country has made major investments in the transportation sector and is resolved to revive the ancient Silk Road. "The government is resolved to revive the great Silk Road through a high-speed railway link that passes through China, Turkmenistan, Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Europe," Rahimi said in Iran's Northeastern city of Sabzevar.