Torbat-e Heidarije – Herat railway line

Torbat-e Heidarije – Herat
Route length:	approx. 300 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Operating points and routes
Legend from Mashhad and Tehran 0 Torbat-e Heidarije after Bandar Abbas approx. 30 Sangan approx. 52 Rashichar approx. 97 salami approx. 127 Chaf approx. Shamtiq about 150 Iran / Afghanistan Tschahi Surch Tebat-e Tork Crossing station Gaza [61] Ghurian Hari Rud [104] Robat Paryan Herat airport [124] Herat to Serhetabat ( Turkmenistan ) 1520 mm track

The Torbat-e Heidarije – Herat railway is an approximately 30 km long single-track railway line in standard gauge that is intended to connect the Iranian railway with Afghanistan .

Geographical location

The railway branches in Torbat-e Heidarije , a station on the north-south rail of Iran , in an easterly direction. In Iranian territory it opens up the cities of Sangan , Rashtichar , Salami and Chaf . However, the associated train stations are far away from the respective city centers. The route crosses the Iranian / Afghan border about 25 km east of Chaf. The border station is called Tschahi Surch . East of the border, the route runs in a north-easterly direction through the Rebat-e Tork region. The topography here is very mountainous and numerous engineering structures are required. In the Afghan section of the route there will be only a few connection points with the existing infrastructure. The gauge changing station for the transition between the 1435 mm lane and the 1520 mm lane is expected to be built in Herat .

Status of expansion

Construction work began in September 2016. There were several delays during construction, partly due to difficult terrain.

Iran

The route to Chaf has been in operation since 2016 . In mid-2018, the line was open to the Shamtiq border station .

Afghanistan

In the Afghan section, Jono , 61.2 km across the border, is said to have been reached in early 2019 . From here, the railway construction will continue under Afghan direction. The Afghan government made a positive decision on this in February 2019. The stretch on Afghan territory consists of two construction lots: The western section is under construction and will be financed from Afghan funds. For the final eastern section to Herat, Italy has provided a loan of 65 million euros, which is to be repaid within 40 years. At the end of 2019, a contract was signed with a Kazakh construction company for the construction of the route. As soon as it is completed, the line will be the first in Afghanistan to also offer passenger services.

traffic

Freight traffic has existed in the western part of the Iranian section since 2007 . The iron ore extracted from the Sangan mines is transported along this route . Passenger traffic has been on the route since the beginning of 2015 . The daily train Tehran - Torbat-e Heidarije runs twice a week to and from Chaf. The Afghan Railway Authority (AfRA) operates the Afghan section of the route .

Worth knowing

Due to the strategic importance of the route, information is only given very cautiously.

Remarks

1. ↑ From the Iranian border (NN: Iran – Afghanistan. First Train to Herat? In: HaRakevet 126 (September 2019), p. 20).
2. ↑ English: Rashtikhar.
3. ↑ English: Khvaf.
4. ↑ English: Chahi Surkh.

Individual evidence

1. ^ NN: Iran – Afghanistan . In: HaRakevet 2015/111: 09, F: Iran (i), p. 15.
2. ^ NN: Afghanistan . In: HaRakevet 2015/111: 09, G: Afghanistan (c), p. 16.
3. ↑ ^{a b} NN: In: HaRakevet 2015/111: 09, F: Iran (i), p. 15.
4. ^ Walter Rothschild: Other Middle East Railways - G. Afghanistan, who is building quicker? . In: HaRakevet 95 = Vol. 25/4 (December 2011), p. 19.
5. ↑ red: Turkmenistan . In: IBSE telegram 313 (12/2016), p. 14.
6. ↑ Christian Neef: The beautiful dream. In: Der Spiegel 2010/19; NN: Iran – Afghanistan . In: HaRakevet 2015/111: 09, F: Iran (i), p. 15; NN: Iran – Afghanistan. First train to Herat? In: HaRakevet 126 (September 2019), p. 20.
7. ^ NN: Iran – Afghanistan. First train to Herat? In: HaRakevet 126 (September 2019), p. 20.
8. ^ NN: Iran – Afghanistan. First train to Herat? In: HaRakevet 126 (September 2019), p. 20.
9. ↑ An Agreement signed for the construction of the first Phase of the fourth section of the Khaf (Khavaf) - Herat Railway line in Afghanistan . In: OSJD Bulletin 1/2020, p. 31.
10. ↑ HaRakevet 127 (December 2019), p. 22.