Track gauge in Afghanistan

The choice of future track gauges in Afghanistan presents several difficulties. Afghanistan is the cross-roads of Asia, surrounded by three different kinds of gauge, and yet is almost completely without railways.^[1]

Until the 21st century, there were less than 25 kilometres of railway inside the country, all of which is built to 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 ²⁷⁄₃₂ in) Russian gauge. For strategic reasons, past Afghan governments preferred to discourage the construction of railways which could aid foreign interference in Afghanistan by Britain or Russia.^[1]

Iran to the west uses standard gauge, 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in), as does China to the east; to the south, Pakistan uses 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Indian gauge, while to the north, the central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan use 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 ²⁷⁄₃₂ in) gauge.

In 2010, the gauge question was resolved so that the internal network would be initially 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in).^[2]

References

1. Railways in Afghanistan, past and future
2. "Answering the Afghan rail question". Railway Gazette International: 63 (with map). October 2010.