photo: Kyle Pearce / Flickr/Railway tracks
They tried it in the 19th century. Now, with a new geopolitical hand, Kazakhstan is betting big on a railway through Taliban-led Afghanistan, chasing long-denied access to Indian Ocean ports and a shot at rewriting Eurasia’s trade routes.
Kazakhstan and Afghanistan have signed an agreement to build a railway through Afghanistan, linking Turkmenistan with Pakistan and opening a new strategic trade route to the Indian Ocean. The project, long envisioned yet never realised due to conflict, is a breakthrough moment for regional connectivity and Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a logistics bridge between Asia and Europe.
In early May, Kazakhstan’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy, Serik Zhumangarin, signed a protocol with Afghan representatives to launch the new railway project. The line will start in Turgundi, on the Afghan–Turkmen border, and pass through Herat and Kandahar, terminating in Spin Boldak, near the Pakistani border. The agreement was reported by The Astana Times and is being positioned as part of Kazakhstan’s broader transport diplomacy strategy.
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Connecting Central Asia to the Indian Ocean
This rail line is set to provide Kazakhstan with direct access to ports along the Indian Ocean, a geopolitical goal long hampered by decades of war in Afghanistan. Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, will become a hub for rail logistics and transshipment infrastructure. Although the corridor’s concept dates back over a century—initially floated by the British Empire—the project has resurfaced periodically with every shift in geopolitical alignment. The current initiative builds on a regional push to develop North–South and East–West trade routes, enabling Kazakhstan to diversify its access beyond Russia and China.
The signed protocol also leaves room for establishing a joint venture between the national railways of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan, reflecting a multilateral approach to shared infrastructure.
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Russia and Uzbekistan Eye a Competing Route
While Kazakhstan champions its Trans-Afghan corridor, Russia and Uzbekistan are pursuing their own rail project to the Indian Ocean, working jointly on feasibility studies. Moscow has strategic interests in creating alternative supply chains that bypass Western-dominated maritime routes. According to officials, these routes are also being assessed for potential cargo demand across key industrial sectors.
Kazakhstan plans to contribute USD 500 million to the project, which will span 700 kilometres from Kazakh territory through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The proposed investment reflects Astana’s commitment to shaping regional trade architecture in the face of growing logistical and political fragmentation globally.
Taliban-Led Afghanistan Pursues Infrastructure Rebirth
The Taliban, now in control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces, has signalled its intent to open the country to regional trade. Railway infrastructure is a critical component of this effort. Current logistics depend heavily on trucks navigating damaged mountain roads and border passes, severely limiting Afghanistan’s connectivity. As a symbolic move, the Taliban has started rebuilding a 75-kilometre rail line connecting Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, with assistance from Turkish and Russian contractors.
However, a major challenge remains: Afghanistan’s international isolation. No country has formally recognised the Taliban-led government, making foreign investment and development loans nearly impossible without progress on diplomacy. Taliban officials claim informal negotiations with international financial institutions are underway, but formal partnerships remain elusive.
Another complicating factor is that Afghanistan has no historical experience building national rail infrastructure. For this reason, the involvement of foreign partners with technical expertise will be crucial. Meanwhile, Iran, also under heavy sanctions, is expected to play a peripheral role in this infrastructure revival, possibly expanding east–west freight options in the region.
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If completed, the Trans-Afghan railway could become a transformative corridor—linking Central Asia to South Asia and opening up landlocked economies to global trade routes. It would also signal a major shift in how regional actors view Afghanistan—not just as a conflict zone, but as a critical bridge in Eurasian connectivity.
Sources: The Astana Times; RAILTARGET; Afghanistan International