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 currentIslamic Emirate have continued to improve thenational highways, roads, and bridges.[3] In 2008, there were about 700,000 vehicles registered inKabul.[4][5] At least 1,314traffic collisions were reported in 2022.[6]
LandlockedAfghanistan has no seaports, but theAmu River, which forms part of the nation's border withTurkmenistan,Uzbekistan andTajikistan, does have substantial traffic. Rebuilding and expanding its airports, roads,rail network, and land ports has led to rapid economic growth in recent years. There are46 airports in Afghanistan as of 2021.[7]
Most major highways were asphalted around the mid-20th century with assistance from the United States and theSoviet Union. The Soviets built a highway andtunnel through theSalang pass in the 1960s, connecting northern and eastern Afghanistan. A highway connecting the principal cities ofHerat,Mazar-i-Sharif,Lashkar Gah,Kandahar,Ghazni,Kabul andJalalabad, with links to highways in neighboringPakistan originally formed the primary road system of Afghanistan.
As of 2017, Afghanistan had 17,903 km (11,124 mi) of paved roads and 17,000 km (11,000 mi) of unpaved roads, for an approximate total road system of 34,903 km (21,688 mi).[7] Traffic in Afghanistan isright hand. In 2008, about 731,607 vehicles were registered in Kabul.[4] At least 1,314traffic 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 ownmicrocars for domestic consumers.[8][9] Long distant road journeys are made in private cars, vans, trucks andbuses.[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.
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:
There are over a dozen officialborder crossing points all around Afghanistan. They includeAbu Nasar Port inFarah Province,[13]Angur Ada inPaktika Province,Aqina inFaryab Province,Dand-aw-Patan inPaktia Province,Ghulam Khan inKhost Province,Hairatan inBalkh Province,Islam Qala inHerat Province,Ishkashim inBadakhshan Province,Sher Khan Bandar inKunduz Province,Spin Boldak inKandahar Province,Torghundi in Herat Province,Torkham inNangarhar Province, andZaranj inNimruz Province.[14][15][16] The Afghanistan-China border crossing atWakhjir Pass in theWakhan District is under development since 2021.[17][18]
TheAfghanistan-Tajikistan bridge atSher Khan Bandar-Panji Poyon connects by road Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It was built by theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 2007.[19] The two countries are also connected by the smallerTajik–Afghan bridge at Tem-Demogan. TheAfghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge connects Afghanistan by road with Uzbekistan. TheDelaram-Zaranj Highway was constructed with Indian assistance and was inaugurated in January 2009.[20]
Due to the lack of public urban transport systems, taxis andauto rickshaws are popular in the major cities, the latter especially inJalalabad. Kabul demanded a much needed public transport system in the 21st century with a rapid increase in traffic and population, but many projects were cancelled or not completed. The municipality launched a bus system accompanied by bus stops, the city's first in decades, in March 2021.[21] Many urban dwellers ridemotorcycles,scooters and bicycles, particularly inHerat,Farah,Lashkar Gah andKandahar.
Afghanistan has a total of fourrailway connections with three neighboring countries.[1]
A rail line fromKhaf in Iran to the city ofHerat in Afghanistan has been under construction since 2006.[22] The Iranian line is a1,435 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 theGhoryan District inHerat Province of Afghanistan.[24][25] Shipment from China can now make its way to as far as Rozanak rail station,[26][27] which is located about 71 km (44 mi) west of Herat.
A 10-kilometer-long1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)broad gauge line extends fromSerhetabat in Turkmenistan to the town ofTorghundi in Afghanistan, which is about 115 km (71 mi) 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.[28]
A second rail connection between the two countries is that which extends fromAqina dry port inFaryab Province of Afghanistan, viaImamnazar toAtamyrat (a.k.a.Kerki), where it connects with the Turkmen rail network.[29] The line extends from Aqina south toAndkhoy in Afghanistan, which is approximately 58 km (36 mi) long.[30][31][32] It will be extended from Andkhoy in the future to other parts of Afghanistan.[33][34]
There is a 75-kilometer-longrail line betweenUzbekistan and the northern Afghan city ofMazar-i-Sharif, all of which is built to1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)broad gauge.[35] The line begins fromTermez and crosses theAmu Darya river on the Soviet-builtAfghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge, finally reaching a site next to theMazar-i-Sharif Airport. A survey is being conducted in extending the line toKabul and then toPeshawar.[36][37][38]
There are no rail links with China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
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Air transport in Afghanistan is provided by thestate-ownedflag carrierAriana Afghan Airlines (AAA), as well as the privately ownedKam Air. Domestic flights are available at a number of airports, with international flights taking place to and fromKabul International Airport. Ariana Afghan Airlines operates international flights from Kabul toDelhi,Dubai,Islamabad,Riyadh, andUrumqi,[39][40] while Kam Air operates international flights toAlmaty,Ankara,Delhi,Dushanbe,Islamabad,Istanbul,Jeddah,Kuwait,Sharjah, andTashkent.
Following the 2021fall of Kabul and the reestablishment of theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan, most international flights were suspended. Domestic flights officially resumed in January 2022.[41] Prior to the change in government, airlines such asAir India,Emirates,Gulf Air,Iran Aseman Airlines,Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) andTurkish Airlines operated a number of international flights from airports throughout the country. Currently only three foreign airlines are operating in Afghanistan. They include Pakistan's PIA and the Iranian carrierMahan Air, which provides links toMashhad andTehran. Indian carriersAir India andSpiceJet are expected to resume operations to Kabul in the near future.[42]
Major airports in Afghanistan include:
International
Domestic
Military aviation in Afghanistan had its origins in the 1920s with assistance provided by theBritish Empire and theSoviet 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 betweenNATO and the Soviet Union. The current aerial warfare service of Afghanistan is theAfghan Air Force.
Bagram Air Base was originally constructed during the 1950s. It then saw significant expansion duringSoviet and later NATOmilitary operations in the region. Its facilities are capable of landing large aircraft such asBoeing 747,Lockheed C-5 Galaxy andAntonov An-124. As a legacy of Soviet and NATO military operations, a large number of military airfields andheliports can be found throughout the country. However, not all of these are in use, and in varying states of repair.
The chief inland waterway of land-locked Afghanistan is theAmu 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 atHairatan in Balkh Province andSher Khan Bandar in Kunduz Province.
There are petroleumpipelines fromBagram into Uzbekistan andShindand into Turkmenistan. These pipelines have been in disrepair and disuse for years. There are 180 km (110 mi) of natural gas pipelines. TheTurkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI) for delivering natural gas from Turkmenistan to India (via Afghanistan and Pakistan) is still under development as of 2024. Only Turkmenistan has completed its section of the TAPI infrastructure as of 2024. The development of TAPI is projected to foster greater economic cooperation and mutual resource utilisation between the 4 countries, giving Turkmenistan alternative routes of natural gas exports and reducing the dependence of South Asian countries on conventional exporters like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Brunei.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2025 ed.).CIA. (Archived 2010 edition.)
