Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan discuss trans-Afghan railway project.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan discussed the initiation of a feasibility study for the trans-Afghan railway project during a trilateral working group meeting in Islamabad on Thursday.

The proposed project is aimed to connect Pakistan with the Central Asian Republics by connecting the existing railway link at Mazar-i-Sharif with Pakistan Railways network.

The trilateral meeting revieAwAAed the progress made on the initial technical assessments and next steps for early initiation of the feasibility of the project, acAAcording to the railways ministry.

The Trans-Afghan Railway project would not only facilitate the regional and bilateral trade between the participating countries, but would also provide better people-to-people connections to the entire region, the ministry said.

The meeting was co-chaired by additional secretary of Ministry of Railways Syed Mazhar Ali Shah and Alhaaj Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman ShaArAafat from Afghanistan and KaAAmalov Akmal SaidakaAbaroAvich from Uzbekistan, who joined the huddle through a video link.

The scheme will facilitate regional and bilateral trade, says ministry

The three countries have already signed a roadmap strategic plan to construct a new 573km Trans-Afghan railway that will connect Central Asia with ports on the Arabian Sea. The agreement provides for conducting a joint expedition to survey the route and its terrain as well as a preliminary feasibility study for the project.

The line will run from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan via Kabul to Peshawar and will connect with the existing Termez, Uzbekistan-Mazar-i-Sharif cross-border line, which opened in 2012, offering a direct rail link between Pakistan and the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. The line will support both passenger and freight services, and is expected to improve the region's economy and connectivity, particularly for landlocked Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

According to the railway strategy for Central Asian Regional Economic...