Afghanistan : Support to the Advisory Group on Railway Sector Development
The TA will have the following outcome: Roadmap for development of Afghanistan's railway subsector updated. The SSTA will deliver three outputs, namely (i) meetings of the Advisory Group completed, (ii) project concepts prepared and prioritized, and (iii) institutional transition plan completed. These outputs will all contribute to a clearer consensus between the government and development partners on the roadmap for the further development of Afghanistan's railway subsector. The new roadmap will be developed by the Advisory Group and in turn guide its work post 2020.
Project Details
-
Project Officer
ADB Disclosure
Central and West Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Afghanistan -
Sector
- Transport
| Project Name | Support to the Advisory Group on Railway Sector Development | ||||
| Project Number | 51391-002 | ||||
| Country / Economy | Afghanistan |
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| Project Status | Closed | ||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Technical Assistance |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth Regional integration |
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| Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Governance and capacity development Knowledge solutions Partnerships Private sector development |
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| Sector / Subsector | Transport / Rail transport (non-urban) |
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| Gender | Some gender elements | ||||
| Description | The TA will have the following outcome: Roadmap for development of Afghanistan's railway subsector updated. The SSTA will deliver three outputs, namely (i) meetings of the Advisory Group completed, (ii) project concepts prepared and prioritized, and (iii) institutional transition plan completed. These outputs will all contribute to a clearer consensus between the government and development partners on the roadmap for the further development of Afghanistan's railway subsector. The new roadmap will be developed by the Advisory Group and in turn guide its work post 2020. | ||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Afghanistan is embarking on an ambitious program to develop a comprehensive railway network, in support of domestic and regional connectivity. The Afghanistan National Railway Plan (ANRP), prepared by the government with the support of the United States in 2013, envisions the construction of about 5,000km of railway track, 8 dry ports and 4 multimodal hubs. Railway sector development in Afghanistan is led by the Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA), which was set up in 2012 under the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) with the objective to the development and management of railways in Afghanistan. In 2017, ARA became an autonomous government agency with an independent budget. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been a primary development partner for Afghanistan in railway sector development. In 2009, ADB approved a TA to conduct a study on railway development in Afghanistan. This lead to the approval and implementation of a landmark project for the construction of the Mazar-i-Sharif to Hairatan railway line, which became operational in 2011. Furthermore, ADB extended support through Tranches 1 and 4 of the Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) for Transport Network Development Investment Program (TNDIP), the former to undertake prefeasibility studies for railway lines in the northern part of Afghanistan, and the latter with the generous financial support of the European Union to provide capacity building to ARA for it to become fully functioning. As part of the ANRP, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) wishes to expedite the construction of the Mazar-i-Sharif to Herat railway line (the MHR), which would connect with the existing Mazar-i-Shari to Hairatan railway line, and the Herat to Senghan line being constructed in phases, to form a continuous transit route between Central Asia and the Middle East/South Asia through Afghanistan. The line would also form part of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway line, and the Five-Nations Railway Corridor being planned among the People's Republic of China, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The government has reached out to a number of development partners seeking their support to the MHR. High-level discussions and agreements have been undertaken between the Governments of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The realization of this ambitious MHR project requires further extensive coordination and preparation. |
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| Impact | National trade in and through northwestern Afghanistan increased Expanded national railway developed and operated to support achievement of Afghanistan's strategic priorities Rail transport will be a mode of choice for trade: quick, efficient, accessible for customers, and easy to use throughout the region |
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| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Roadmap for development of Afghanistan's railway subsector updated |
| Progress Toward Outcome | |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | Meetings of the Advisory Group completed Project concepts prepared and prioritized Institutional transition plan completed |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | |
| Geographical Location | Nation-wide |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Responsible ADB Officer | ADB Disclosure |
| Responsible ADB Department | Central and West Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Transport and Communications Division, CWRD |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | - |
| Fact Finding | - |
| MRM | - |
| Approval | 26 Oct 2018 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 30 Oct 2018 |
TA 9623-AFG
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 26 Oct 2018 | - | 26 Oct 2018 | 30 Apr 2020 | 31 Oct 2020 | 27 Nov 2020 |
| Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
| Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
| 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 225,000.00 | 17 Jun 2022 | 89,438.06 |
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