Khaf-Herat railway to transport up to six million tons of cargo per year

Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the 225-km project on Thursday which was held online, Eslami added, in addition to its annual capacity of transporting six million tons of cargo, the Khaf-Herat railway also can move one million passengers per year, Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

The project was officially inaugurated by President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani who referred to it as a historic plan.

Inauguration of the project is a unique interaction and coordinated cooperation between the two countries of Iran and Afghanistan, which has been launched based on friendship, said the Iranian minister.

The 225-km railway project includes four phases that are currently under construction. About 78 km of the project, which includes two phases, is on Iran's soil and the rest in Afghanistan.

Khaf-Herat, which is part of the Iran-Afghanistan rail corridor, started in the fiscal year of 2007-2008 and connects Iran’s eastern city of Khaf to Afghanistan’s western city of Ghoryan.

Completion of the project will affect transit facilities in Afghanistan and solve many investors' and merchants’ problems in the country, Press TV reported.

Implementation of the project will also show the importance of Iran's position once again as it makes a boom in regional trade - exports and imports. The railway project will also contribute to the development of tourism.