Russia looking into participating in railway, port projects in Afghanistan

MOSCOW. Oct 7 (Interfax) - Russia is looking into the possibility of participating in transport projects in Afghanistan, Deputy Transport Minister Dmitry Zverev said following talks with Abdul Karim Fateh, the head of Afghanistan's railway authority.

"The parties discussed prospects for Russian companies participating in the development of Afghanistan's railway and river port infrastructure, including the port of Hairatan. They paid particular attention to the development of the Trans-Afghan Railway project," the ministry said in a statement.

They also discussed expanding cargo transportation via the existing infrastructure of the eastern corridor of the International North-South Transport Corridor, as well as matters related to creating a legal framework for transit shipments and to cooperation between Afghanistan and the CIS Coordinating Transport Council.

"The Russian party expressed willingness to continue joint efforts to develop promising areas for collaboraton," the Transport Ministry said.

As reported, the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a trilateral framework agreement in Kabul in July 2025 to draft a feasibility study for the proposed Trans-Afghan Railway. Following talks in Tashkent in February 2021, representatives of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a joint action plan for the construction of a railroad through Afghanistan to link the Uzbek border and Peshawar. The trans-Afghanistan railway will be 573 kilometers long, with its transit potential estimated at up to 20 million tonnes of cargo per year

Uzbekistan and Russia reached a preliminary agreement on Russia's participation in the initiative in April 2024, during a visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Moscow. An estimated 8 million-15 million tonnes of Russian cargo could be transported along the route each year.