The Ministry of Railways is planning to connect Peshawar with Afghanistan’s Jalalabad through rail link in order to facilitate the people of both countries, sources in the railways department said on Monday. A feasibility study titled ‘provision of rail link from Peshawar to Jalalabad through Loi Shalman Valley (145 Km)’ is under process, the said. “Pakistan Railways is making all out efforts to execute the project which is likely to be completed by December this year,” the sources claimed.

It is still undecided whether the inclusion of existing track from Peshawar to Torkham is included in the proposed scheme or not, they said. “In this regard, it is further pointed out that the matter was raised in 5th JCC meeting to include this connectivity project in CPEC which was not agreed,” they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2017.