ASIA: The Asian Development Bank has approved funding for electrification in Uzbekistan and construction of a 225 km line in northern Afghanistan.

...The routes form part of Central Asia Regional Economic Co-operation Corridor 6, which crosses Uzbekistan from Keres on the Kazakh border to Termez on the Afghan border. According to ADB, the line carries 10 million tonnes of freight a year, but capacity is limited by the use of diesel locomotives which are only able to haul short and slow trains on steeply-graded sections. Traffic includes supplies being delivered to international forces in Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network.

On September 20 ADB approved a US$754m multi-tranche package of transport assistance for Afghanistan. This includes rehabilitation of 578 km of roads, and the extension of the recently-completed 75 km Termez - Mazar-i-Sharif railway by 225 km west to Andkhoy...