On 10th July 2025, the Afghan Ministry of Public Works and the Kazakh Ministry of Transport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a 115 km railway line from Towrgondi on the border with Turkmenistan to Herat. The project comprises three phases: First, the existing freight terminal in Towrgondi will be modernised and a 22 km line to Sanobar will be built. In the second phase, 90 km of new infrastructure will be built to Robat Paryan near Herat. The third phase provides for an extension to the centre of Herat with a new station connecting to the line under construction from Khaf in Iran. Kazakhstan is providing around €428 million (US$500 million) for the project.
