Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslam said that the transnational railway project’s section from Khaf in Iran to Herat in Afghanistan will become operational before March 2021.

The third-section of the project will also be inaugurated in the third quarter of the Iranian calendar year which is from September 22 to December 20.

Eslami said “a part of Khaf-Herat Railway will be constructed by Iran while the remaining part will be built by neighbouring Afghanistan” and added that Iran had almost completed their construction.
The railway line is around 66km and will connect Afghanistan to “Iran’s national railway network as well as other parts of the world” with the intention of it being extended all the way from the Indian Ocean to Europe.
The minister also pointed to the transit route and said, “Iran has a variety of routes such as North-South Corridor and also East-West Corridor in a way that transiting Afghan territory and investing in Afghanistan is an essential for Iranian traders and also this country.”
The Khaf-Herat part of the Iran-Afghanistan rail corridor is meant for both passenger and cargo services.