Gholamheidar Ebrahimbay Salami

Abstract
The development of the international railway network from the Iranian city of Khaf to Afghanistan’s Herat and China’s Kashgar through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan would facilitate transportation and cultural ties between these countries, as well as with the European and western countries. Following the implementation of this plan, the Silk Road will be revived and a new eastern civilization will emerge. The construction of the Herat-Khaf railway to Kashgar will lead to more welfare for the people, development of the infrastructure, progress of the regional countries, and more investments interactions between the eastern and western countries. Meanwhile, the strategic threat for the Herat-Kashgar route is the infiltration of the Central Asian-style railway from the north by the Russians and the Indian-style railway from the south to Afghanistan, which will deprive the country of the railway with European and Chinese standards.
 
Introduction
In modern world, production and trade relations are increasingly dependent on the transportation systems of the countries. In the eastern Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, which are located in the heart of the world’ mainland, the transnational rail networks are extremely important, without which effective access to the world's open waters or the transportation of goods to other regions, such as the western cities of Iran, European countries, and China would be very difficult. Also, given the changes in economic components, including energy prices, the role of these international railway networks will become more significant in the long term.
The emergence of China's growing economic power in the world, the economic rise of the great country of India in the future and the importance of economic relations between Europe and these regions has added to the strategic significance of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as the link between the East and the rest of the world, and so, Route and time of transport of goods will gradually become more important.
Since Afghanistan and Tajikistan are landlocked, the establishment of an international railway network has greater strategic importance for their development. With the construction of a suitable railway in these countries, the eastern Iran would also get out of the current historical, economic, and social deadlock. In this way, outstanding social and economic opportunities will be created for the development of this region, and Afghanistan which was once called the Heart of Asia, will be able to move from a geopolitical situation to a geoeconomic one. During the last two decades, the construction of the northeast - southeast railway network in Iran - from the cities of Tajan, Sarakhs (along the border with Turkmenistan) and Mashhad to Bafgh, and Bandar Abbas - and also the construction of the east-west route through Torbat-e Heydarieh, Khaf, and Sangan to Herat, have raised new hopes for creation of a new eastern civilization along this route from Afghanistan to China, India, and Central Asian countries.
 
Iran-Afghanistan transportation infrastructure
1-background
Until the beginning of the 15th century, this region has had the highest level of infrastructure and commercial capabilities compared to other parts of the world. The construction of long paved roads along the large cities as well as the construction of Caravanserai (roadside inns equipped for rest and exchange of goods and economic information) had been one of the most important features of the East. The theory has always been that roads and Caravanserais have played an important role in the development of production, trade, and prosperity of the eastern civilizations and it can be said that the peak of prosperity in the Iranian civilization and its decline were a function of construction and destruction of these roads and Caravanserais.
Will Durant wrote in The Story of Civilization that Iran was the connecting link between the ancient civilizations of China and India and those of the southern Europe and Egypt. The Great Khorasan Road from Baghdad to Balkh, which was established during the Abbasid period, or numerous roads and caravanserais that were built during the Safavid era, were examples of the importance of goods transit in Iran.The Silk Road, or the east-west bridge (Asia-Europe), was used to connect the city of Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an) in eastern China to Rome and Venice in Europe. This road, which was more than 12,000 kilometers long, was eighteen centuries old (from 200 BC to 1600AD). Beginning from the city of Xi'an in China and passing through the Pamir Mountains, the road was connecting the cities of Merv, Samarkand, Balkh and Transoxiana. Neishabour was the first Iranian city on this road and after passing through Damghan, Gorgan, Rey, Qazvin, Hamedan, and other Iranian cities, it was leading to Seleucia and Antioch (Turkey) on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Another branch of the Silk Road was connecting India to Tus (Mashhad) in Iran, and Persian language has been used in many routes of the Silk Road. The 12,000-kilometer Silk Road gradually lost its commercial importance in the late fourteenth century following the spread of industrial and modern goods and expansion of sea lanes, and finally, the land that had been hosting the world's busiest crossroad for centuries, became a dead end.
In 1994, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Papli Yazdi proposed the construction of a railway network between the Islamic countries, in order to further integrate the West Asian region in the field of infrastructure development.
 
2- Iran’s north-south railway network
In the aftermath of World War II, the Soviet Union had proposed the North-South Transport Corridor as a strategic goal to connect the cold Siberian plains to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf and open waters. "Our dream is to have access to the world's open waters" The Soviet Leader Lloyd Brezhnev said. And therefore, the perspective of this grand strategic plan, which was more than 1,000 kilometers from Turkmenistan (Soviet border) to Bandar Abbas (Persian Gulf), was designed.
However, the conditions of the Cold War and the tendency of the Iranian government (Pahlavi government) towards the United States, the Afghan revolution (April 1978) and the Soviet Union’s invasion to that country (1978), and the Islamic Revolution of Iran (February 1979) postponed the plan’s implementation. Following the fall of the Soviet Union and formation of the commonwealth and landlocked republics in Central Asia and their need for expansion of trade, the Iranian government decided to build the Mashhad-Sarakhs-Tajan railway with a length of 180 km between Iran and Turkmenistan in 1989. Then in 1997, the construction of the Mashhad-Bafgh railway project with a length of 780 km to Bandar Abbas (Persian Gulf) began and finally completed in 2004.
Having a railway network in the eastern Iran, besides increasing the possibility of interaction between the Central Asian countries as well as Afghanistan with Iran, was considered a key step towards more investment in the mining industry and using the transportation capabilities of Iran and Afghanistan. By completing this railway network on the routes of Tajan – Mashhad – Bafgh - Bandar Abbas, and Torbat Heydariyeh – Khaf - Sangan - Herat in Afghanistan towards China and also its completion on the route of Kerman - Zahedan – Bam - Fahraj to Chabahar, the necessary ground for the development of the east and southeast of Iran and also the west and north of Afghanistan would be provided more than before.
 
3- Torbat Heydariyeh-Khaf-Herat railway
Following the construction of Mashhad-Bafgh railway, due to the potentials of Sangan Khaf iron ore mines in eastern Iran and its proximity to the ancient and important city of Herat in Afghanistan, the Torbat-Heydariyeh-Sangan-Herat railway project with a length of 316 km was proposed to the Iranian government by the author in 2000. Despite the government's opposition, this plan was finally approved by the parliament in 2001. In 2006, the first phase of the project (Torbat Heydariyeh-Sangan) with a length of 146 km was completed in Iran and the construction of the other phase (Sangan-Herat) with a length of 170 km began. The distance of the project from Khaf station to Herat city is 191 km. This distance is divided into four parts, the first and second parts are located inside Iran and the third part is constructing in Afghanistan by Iran’s assistance. The construction of the fourth part from Ghourian to the city of Herat was assigned to the Afghan government, for the implementation of which a contract has been concluded with a Kazakh company (INKON-KZ).

3-1- The history of Herat railway
Prior to the Khaf-Herat project, the Aria International Railway project was proposed to connect Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Indochina to Europe via Iran, which could also be called as the Europe-Asia railway. The route was considered a viable option for connecting southern regions of Central Asia to southern Europe. The preliminary studies of the Aria International Railway, with a length of 1800 km from Herat to Kabul, were carried out by a French company, Souf Rail, based on a MoU between the French and Afghan governments in 1975. The French company, howere, focused its studies only on Afghanistan's access to Europe and did not consider its access to the world's open waters in the Persian Gulf.
Regarding the geopolitical developments in the east and north of Iran and also the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf, the mentioned plan was amended by the author in Iran in 2001 and was approved by the parliament as "Torbat Heydariyeh-Sangan-Herat" railway. At that time, Afghanistan only had 27.4 km of Russian standard railway (with1520 mm width) which has several parts. Afghanistan's first railway was constructed in 1982 with a length of 816 meters and a width of 1520 mm on a bridge over the Amu Darya River along the Uzbek-Soviet border to connect the Bukhara-Dushanbe railway near Termez and Hairatan region. 15 kilometers of the railway is located in Hyderabad on the south coast of the Amu Darya and 9.6 km, with a width of 1520 mm, goes to Towrgondi via Kushka in Turkmenistan. These short-distance railways were actually designed to transfer oil, gas and mineral resources to the Soviet Union.

3-2- Functions and benefits of Khaf-Herat railway
In addition to benefits of expanding the international railway network, this project provide the necessary development, investment, and employment infrastructure of the eastern regions of Iran, including Torbat-e Heydarieh, Khaf and Rashtkhar as well as the Afghan cities of Herat, Ghourian and Zandijan. Given the fact that Afghanistan is a landlocked country, its most urgent need is the construction of a railway network. Also, given China’s growing desire for investment and trade in the eastern countries, this railway network will be the source of dramatic changes in the long term.
The proposed plans for the distances and sections of the Afghan railway and its distance to the borders of Europe, Russia and the open waters of the world and the Persian Gulf are mentioned in table (1).
 
Table (1): Afghan railway distance to Europe, Russia and the open waters

 
Following the establishment of Trans-Afhghan Railway network, Herat station can act as a central station and landing-place to transport the minerals and other goods by rail to Europe (Razi station of Iran on the border with Turkey), Bandar Abbas (Persian Gulf water borders) and Chabahar port (Indian Ocean) and provide a platform for transportation of goods from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China to the open waters of the world.
Some of the functions of the Torbat-e-Heydariyeh-Khaf-Herat railway project, which is the main axis of transition from a geopolitical to a geo-economic situation are as follows:
1- Development of infrastructure and investment in eastern parts of Iran and Afghanistan
2- Facilitating the international railway network between Iran and Afghanistan and connecting it to China, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
3- Connecting Afghanistan to the north-south railway and the open waters of the world via the Persian Gulf and Chabahar in the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean, and connecting the western part of China to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
4- Connecting India and Pakistan’s rail networks to Iran and Europe
5- Development of Iran's railway networks and increasing their economic justification considering the high capacity of Sangan iron ore mines
6- Development of international rail network according to the European, Iranian, and Chinese standards (width 1435 mm) in a large part of Asia
7- Promoting the living standards of the people in eastern cities of Iran, reducing drug trafficking, and strengthening alternative products in Afghanistan
8- Increasing the security coefficient and developing social security on both sides of the Iran-Afghanistan border and creating opportunities for transition from a geopolitical condition to a geoeconomic situation
9- Increasing the possibility of investment in the mining industry of Iran and Afghanistan and connecting them toghether, and developing steel factories in Khorasan, Herat, Kerman, Isfahan, Yazd, Bandar Abbas,etc.
10- Creating investment and employment opportunities in Iran and Afghanistan and developing production and trade.

3-3- Strategic threats to the Khaf-Herat railway

3-3-1- expansion of Central Asia-style railway by Russia
After preparing the Herat railway plan in Iran and starting the construction operation of it, the kind of discourse that was used by the media in Iran, Afghanistan and China, made the Russian government worry. Russia felt that after the arrival of European- style railway (which is 1435 mm wide) to Afghanistan through Iran _ a standard that is also used by China _ the east and west of the world will be practically connected to each other with a standard different from the Russian railways standard, which is 1520 mm wide. In other words, with the construction and continuation of the Khaf railway to Herat, the Russian railway on the borders of Afghanistan and Central Asia could be an outmoded railway and, hence, the idea of ​​access to the world's open waters through Russian railways could be no more possible as Brezhnev wished; Or at least their international connection required the Russians to pay for the replacement of the bogies (train wheels) and adjust them to Iranian and Chinese standards.
According to reports, the Russians made the most of the delay that accrued in the implementation of the Iran project and the arrival of the standard railways to Afghanistan, and managed to extend their railways into Afghanistan in a bid to maintain their strategic and economic influence beyond the countries of Central Asia, especially in Afghanistan. For that reason, the Russian railway from Hairatan, on the border of Uzbekistan, to the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan was designed with a length of 80 km and was implemented quickly.
In its official report (2019), the Regional Assemble for Middle East (RAME) of Afghanistan Railway authority (ARA) has mentioned the technical, long-term and strategic dimensions of this route as follows:
The technical-economic studies of Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway were started in 2009. The construction of this 75-kilometer line was started by the Uzbek Railway Company and financed by the Islamic Development Bank in 2010 and was completed at the end of the same year. Moreover, the Hairatan station was rebuilt and equipped with modern technologies.
Hairatan is a dry port in Afghanistan, from where about 50% of commercial and transit goods enter the country. The Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif line has been in operation since 2011 and is currently the only active railway in the country. This single-track line has been constructed based on the Russian standard (1520mm) and connects the northern province of Balkh to Uzbekistan through Hairatan and hosts most of the trade between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.This project is part of a larger project that will lead to Herat and Iran in the west, Tajikistan in the east, and Pakistan in the south.”
This route was studied and implemented by the government of Uzbekistan eight years after the approval of the Iranian parliament (2001) and entered the operational phase in less than a year in 2010. This project was funded by the Islamic Development Bank and is supposed to extent to Herat.
What is certain is that if the Russian railway extends to Herat and Kabul, Afghanistan's railway system will be subordinated to the Central Asian countries and large parts of the country will be deprived of access to Iran, Europe and China. Also, in the long run, the technical problems will hurt Afghanistan and the country will become a scorched earth in terms of international economic structure.Therefore, the possibility of trans-regional investment will decrease

3-3-2- expansion of Indian-style railway by Pakistan
In addition to the Central Asian countries, Pakistan’s railways- constructed based on British and Indian standard (1676 mm) - are also different from those of Iran and Europe, and its nearest station to Afghanistan is Spin Buldak, which is 102 km away. Another serious challenge for the Khaf-Herat railway, would be the construction of an Indian- style railway from Quetta to Kandahar by the Pakistani government. Considering China's efforts to get access to Gwadar Sea Port and its remarkable investment proposals are also significant in this regard. Pakistan has always considered the development of Iran's southern ports, especially Chabahar, as its rival in the open waters.The transfer of goods via the Kandahar-Quetta-Karachi and Gwadar routes can weaken the city of Herat and significantly reduce Iran and Afghanistan’s economic and international interactions.
The report of RAME about the projects which are under construction along Pakistan's eastern borders is as follows:
Two 1,676 mm wide lines will reach the Torkham border via Pakistani railways. In 2010, the two countries signed a MOU to build new raiways between the two countries. They also decided to continue the railway from Torkham to Jalalabad and Kabul and connect Pakistan to Turkmenistan through other Afghan-designed railways.
Considering the width diversity of international railways from an economic and political point of view in the West-East corridor is extremely important and it is necessary to pay attention to this issue by looking at the economic future of West Asian countries
 
4- Herat-Kashgar railway
According to the experts, the Silk Road and the civilization on which it is based, begins in China and extends to the borders of Europe. The economic developments of China and the increase of its investments as well as industrial activities are in such a way that any production or trade without considering the potentials of this country seems impossible. The consumer market for one and a half billion people and the possibility of cheap production in this country are the basis of many national and international economic calculations in the world. This has made the trade ties with China extremely important.
The possibility of connecting Iran’s east-west railway to China via Afghanistan’s Herat is one of the strategic and important geostrategic and geoeconomic issues of the West Asian and Central Asian countries.
The possibility of connecting the Khaf-Herat railway to China has also been studied from a technical and geopolitical point of view, and a summary of the report will be presented via using expert opinions and various sources and documents. There are two east-west railways in the western and southwestern parts of the vast country of China, one of which is an old and active route from the city of Urumqi to the border town of Druzhba in Kazakhstan. After changing the bogies to the Russian standards on the Kazakhstan border, the trains reach Europe through Kazakhstan and Russia. This route is an important and busy international line.
The new route, which is designed based on the European standards and is specific to China's grand network, ends in the southwest of China from Urumqi to Kashgar. It has been constructed in recent years and its extension to Iran is the focus of this study and is the main option for extension of Herat railway.
With creation of a new railway corridor between Iran and China from Khaf to Kashgar (via Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan), the railway distance of China, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Iran, Europe and the Persian Gulf will be reduced by about 1000 kilometers. This path is shown in the map (1).
 
Map (1): Iran-Afghanistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-China Railway (Khaf-Kashgar)


4-1- The importance of Mazar-e-Sharif railway
The extension of the Herat railway to Mazar-e-Sharif is the main option for connecting the European countries and Iran to Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries through Afghanistan. Herat can be connected to Mazar-e-Sharif by two routes:

One is the northern and mountainous route to Badghis, Faryab, Jawzjan, Qaisar and Balkh, which is emphasized in the Herat-Kashgar corridor due to its short distance and is displayed in map (1).
The other route is the crescent route, which reaches Kabul from the southeast through Shindand, Farah, Del Aram, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar and Ghazni, and then from Kabul goes to Pol-e-Khomri, Shir Khan Bandar and Mazar-e-Sharif. This is the same plan proposed by the French company Souf Rail, for creation and expansion of more railway networks in Afghanistan, which was designed to avoid the direct and short connection of the Soviet Union to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf during the Cold War. At that time, Europe’s rail connection to China was not an international priority.

 The Mazar-e-Sharif route from Afghanistan to the Hairatan region on the Uzbek border is now connected by an 80-kilometer Russian railway.
However, if the expansion of the railway is supposed to be based on the European standard, this can be done through extending the railway from Shir Khan Bandar to the cities of Qarwan Tappeh, Danghara, and Dushanbe in Tajikistan and then to Sary-Tash in Kyrgyzstan and Kashgar in China. The cities of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, like other cities in Central Asia, have Russian-standard railways, and for construction of international standard lines between Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and China, the agreement and cooperation of these countries as well as the Chinese government’ will are needed to complete the route based on the European, Iranian and Chinese rails.
RAME reported the feasibility studies (2019) of the Aqinah-Andkhoy-Mazar Sharif-Kunduz- Shebergan Bandar railway in northern Afghanistan as follows:
In 2013, an agreement was signed among Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan for a multinational railway in northern Afghanistan to connect the country to the Caspian Sea. The railway, which is about 2 km long, starts in Ata Murad region, Turkmenistan, and goes to Hairatan and Tajikistan via Aqinah border in Andkhoy district, and througt Faryab and Kunduz provinces in Afghanistan. 85 kilometers of this railway will be built in Turkmenistan and more than 300 km in the northern provinces of Afghanistan. The railway connects Afghanistan to Tajikistan through Shebergan Bandar in Kunduz province. After construction of this railway, Afghanistan will be connected to the international railway network through its northern corridor, which starts from the Iran-Herat line and goes to Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan also will be connected to Tajikistan through Afghanistan. The project is currently undertaking the process of feasibility studies.

4-2 The strategic importance of Herat-Kashgar railway
The strategic importance and functions of Herat-Kashgar railway with the European standard are as follows:
1- The construction of a railway in this corridor with the European standard will enable access of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China to Europe, open waters in the Persian Gulf, and southern Iran by connecting Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Bushehr and Bandar Imam Khomeini. In mainlands, also, the railway network will enable access to the Caucasus region via the borders cities of Astara and Julfa, to Turkey via the Razi border, and to Iraq through Shalamcheh and Khosravi, and will be connected to the Mediterranean Sea through Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
2- Reducing the cost and time of mutual transfer of goods from China to the West Asian countries and Europe.
3- Reducing the crossing risk and the number of times that Iranian goods cross the border by eliminating Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan routes. It should be noted that, in the last two decades, some of these countries have been the main obstacles to the passage of Iranian goods to Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries.
4- The possibility of economic, social and cultural convergence, especially between the Persian-speaking countries of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iran and possibility of connection with Europe and China would increase.
5- The possibility of access of Iran and China to energy resources, mines and markets of these regions as well as investment in their markets will increase.
6. Iran and China's reliance on sea lanes - which are sometimes restricted by some countries, even for the use of large ships - will be reduced. The effects of such restrictions are clearly seen during the EU and US sanctions on Iran.
7. Further development of the western provinces of China, especially the important province of Xinjiang, will be achieved.
8- More transit benefits will be created for all countries in the region, specially, because of the active and extensive economy of China and Europe.
9- Social and international security as well as prosperity of cities that host the route will increase.
10- The possibility of shattering the monopoly of Pakistan and other Central Asian countries would be provided for countries such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
11. Uzbekistan can also be connected to this line from Termaz border and enjoy all the benefits of this railway network.
12. Turkmenistan can also connect its railway to Herat from the Turgundi border in northern Afghanistan and enjoy all the benefits of this route.
13. It would facilitate Iran-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway connection. The current Tajik-Afghan railway passes through Uzbekistan. To avoid doing that, it needs a 60-kilometer railway within Tajikistan to be directly connected to this international network.
14. It is worth mentioning that the United States has suggested the Chinese government to study the possibility of connecting Afghanistan’s Wakhan to China, which is part of the ancient Silk Road. The study of other options to connect Herat to Kashgar should be considered by topographic studies.
 
Conclusion
Implementation of the railway project from Sangan, Khaf, to Herat will develope the social interactions, economic exchanges, and trade balance of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It will also lead to more development and prosperity for the people of eastern Iran and other countries in the region.
Connecting Afghanistan’s railway to China, especially if it is done with the European-Iranian standard through Herat corridor to Kashgar, will be significantly effective in the exchange of goods and passengers from east to west of the world and will save Afghanistan from the turmoil caused by the existence of different railway standards. It will also extend the strategic depth of Iran, Afghanistan and China on the way to Asia and Europe.
The main challenge for this important international corridor would be procrastination on the side of the Iranian and Afghan governments to launch the railway to Herat station. On the other hand, Russia's strategy to expand the railways according to the Central Asian standards will lead to further backwardness for Afghanistan as well as more historical limitations for interaction between Iran, China, Europe and Afghanistan.
The possibility of expanding the Indian subcontinent’s railway network through Pakistan would be another challenge for Iran's national railway network, especially for the west-east line and the north-southeast line to Chabahar and Bandar Abbas.
In fact, the rapid construction of 80 km of the Russian railway from the Hairatan border to Mazar-e-Sharif proved that great powers like Russia, which have suffered many defeats and pressures during the numerous wars in Afghanistan, are not ignorant about their strategic and economic interests, and even will use the differences in Afghanistan’s railway standards to advance their own long-term and strategic goals.
It is now necessary for the governments of Iran, Afghanistan, China, as well as the European countries, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, to put the implementation of this super-strategic project on top of their agenda, and, therefore, guarantee their own regional and international interests.

Gholamheidar Ebrahimbay Salami
Assistant Professor 
Tehran University
gsalami@ut.ac.ir

References
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Gholamheidar Ebrahimbay Salami, is the Assistant Professor of Tehran University