Transport in Afghanistan is done mostly by road, rail and air.[1][2] Much of the nation's road network was built in the mid-20th century but left to ruin during the last two decades of that century due to war and political turmoil. Officials of the current Islamic Emirate have continued to improve the national highways, roads, and bridges.[3] In 2008, there were about 700,000 vehicles registered in Kabul.[4][5] At least 1,314 traffic collisions were reported in 2022.[6]
Most major highways were asphalted around the mid-20th century with assistance from the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets built a highway and tunnel through the Salang pass in the 1960s, connecting northern and eastern Afghanistan. A highway connecting the principal cities of Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul and Jalalabad, with links to highways in neighboring Pakistan originally formed the primary road system of Afghanistan.
As of 2017, Afghanistan had 17,903 kilometers of paved roads and 17,000 kilometers of unpaved roads, for an approximate total road system of 34,903 kilometers.[7] Traffic in Afghanistan is right hand. In 2008, about 731,607 vehicles were registered in Kabul.[4] At least 1,314 traffic collisions were reported in December 2022.[6] Many vehicles in the country are driven without registration plates. The Afghan government passed a law banning the import of cars older than 10 years. Toyota Corolla has been the most widely used vehicle in the country since the mid-1990s.[5] Afghanistan recently began manufacturing its own cars for domestic consumers.[8][9] Long distant road journeys are made in private cars, vans, trucks and buses.[10][11] Many of the national roads are in need of serious repair due to damage caused by overloaded trucks. For this reason, tourists, business people and the upper class prefer using airline service for long distant travels. The national roads can also be dangerous due to accidents and lack of security forces.
Highways
The highway system is currently going through a reconstruction phase. Most of the regional roads are also being repaired or improved. For the last 30 years, the poor state of the Afghan transportation and communication networks has further fragmented and hampered the struggling economy.
The following is a partial list of the major highways in Afghanistan:
Gardez–Pathan Highway in Paktia Province (still under construction as of February 2015)
Due to the lack of public urban transport systems, taxis and auto rickshaws are highly popular in the major cities, the latter especially in Jalalabad. Kabul demanded a much needed public transport system in the 21st century with a rapid increase in traffic and population, but many projects were canceled or did not complete. The municipality finally launched the city's first in decades, a bus system accompanied by bus stops, in March 2021.[21] Many urban dwellers ride motorcycles, scooters and bicycles, particularly in Herat, Farah, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.
Afghanistan has a total of four railway connections with neighboring countries.[1]
Afghanistan-Iran rail connections
A rail line from Khaf in Iran to the city of Herat in Afghanistan has been under construction since 2006.[22] The Iranian line is a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.[23] It was reported in December 2020 that the Herat-Khaf railway, which is 225 km long, had reached the Ghoryan District in Herat Province of Afghanistan.[24][25][26][27][28]
Afghanistan-Turkmenistan rail connections
A 10-kilometer-long 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) broad gauge line extends from Serhetabat in Turkmenistan to the town of Torghundi in Afghanistan, which is about 115 km to the north of Herat. An upgrade of this Soviet-built line, to renovate and connect the line from Torghundi to Herat, began in 2017.[29]
A second rail connection between the two countries is that which extends from Aqina dry port in Faryab Province of Afghanistan, via Imamnazar to Atamyrat (a.k.a. Kerki), where it connects with the Turkmen rail network.[30] The line extends from Aqina south to Andkhoy in Afghanistan, which is approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi) long.[31][32][33] It will be extended from Andkhoy in the future to other parts of Afghanistan.[34][35]
Military aviation in Afghanistan had its origins in the 1920s with assistance provided by the British Empire and the Soviet Union. Changing political influence in the country resulted in aircraft orders and military assistant changing between the world superpowers after the Second World War, principally between NATO and the Soviet Union. The current aerial warfare service of Afghanistan is the Afghan Air Force.
Bagram Air Base was originally constructed during the 1950s. It then saw significant expansion during Soviet and later NATO military operations in the region. Its facilities are capable of landing large aircraft such as Boeing 747, Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and Antonov An-124. As a legacy of Soviet and NATO military operations, a large number of military airfields and heliports can be found throughout the country. However, not all of these are in use, and in varying states of repair.
Water
India-Iran-Afghanistan transport corridor map, which provides access to Chabahar Port in Iran.
The chief inland waterway of land-locked Afghanistan is the Amu River which forms part of Afghanistan's northern boundary. The river handles barge traffic up to about 500 metric tons. The main river ports are located at Hairatan in Balkh Province and Sher Khan Bandar in Kunduz Province.
Pipelines
There are petroleum pipelines from Bagram into Uzbekistan and Shindand into Turkmenistan. These pipelines have been in disrepair and disuse for years. There are 180 kilometers of natural gas pipelines. The Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI) for delivering natural gas from Turkmenistan to India (via Afghanistan and Pakistan) is still under development as of 2022.
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