Pakistan Railways historic tunnel near station on Quetta-Chaman section would soon be streamlined and further developed to handle international import-export trade between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Central Asian States.
At a briefing on the tunnel, built by the British during the Second Afghan War at Shelabagh near Chaman, the National Assembly committee on Pakistan Railways was told that the tunnel would constitute a vital part of Pakistan Railways passage way between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Central Asian States. The NA committee, led by its Tufail Ahmed Khan, was informed that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed, in principle, on the construction of the first phase of ECO Railway, extending from Chaman to Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan.
The second phase would be between Kandahar and Khushka, in Tajikistan, one of the 10 members of ECO club. Tajikistan has certain links with other Central Asian States.
The committee was told that Pakistan had completed survey for laying Chaman-Kandahar-Khushka opening section of the ECO railway. The first phase of the ECO Railway would cost a little over $600 million. The committee was apprised that Chaman was very well connected with Karachi by modern railroad network. At Chaman, a dry port has also been completed to handle international import/export trade and traffic between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan initially.
The committee was also told that with the construction of first phase of ECO Railways, landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian States would have easy access not only to Karachi and Qasim Ports but also to Gwadar along Arabian Sea, in southern Balochistan, for boosting two-way international import/export trade and traffic through Balochistan.
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