Iran and Afghanistan have officially inaugurated their first railway link, an achievement the two countries’ presidents said would help enhance trade across the region.

The 140-kilometre (90-mile) line running from eastern Iran into western Afghanistan will eventually be expanded by 85-kilometres to reach the Afghan city of Herat, providing a crucial transport link for the landlocked country, where decades of war have hindered infrastructure development.

The $75 million projects began in 2007, with Iran funding construction on both sides of the border as part of its development assistance to Afghanistan.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called it one of the historic days in relations between the two countries. He said Iran had succeeded in building the line despite sanctions imposed by the Trump administration after the U.S. withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during the inauguration ceremony via video-conferencing called the railroad a precious gift from Iran that would help restore the Silk Road, an ancient trade route that spread prosperity across Asia. The inauguration saw cargo trains depart from opposite ends of the line.

Ahead of the ceremony, a trial freight train delivered 400 tons of cement from Iran to Afghanistan last week. A passenger train also took Iranian officials to Afghanistan for a meeting.

According to Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami, the railroad can transport one million passengers and six million tons of goods a year.

Iran hopes to transform itself into a regional transport hub, allowing Afghanistan and other landlocked Asian countries to transport goods to its ports on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran already has rail links with Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Turkey.

Image Source: AP