Report - United States Department of Defense

UNCLASSIFIED
For the East-West corridor, Italy will fund part of the road in Herat Province from Herat City to
Chest-e Sharif (155 km), and also from Maiden Shar (Wardak Province) to Bamyan (Bamyan
Province). The Asian Development Bank and Japan have nearly completed the road from
Bamyan City to Yakawlang in Bamyan Province. The remaining sections of the East-West
corridor are unfunded.
DoD is currently conducting emergency repairs to the Salang Tunnel. The Salang Tunnel runs
north of Kabul through the Parwan Province along Highway 1 and is viewed as a major
component of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN). The non-emergency Salang Tunnel
reconstruction project is using CERP as its funding mechanism, and solicited for bids in August
2012. In September 2012, the Omran Holding Group, an Afghan-owned and -operated company,
was selected as the preferred bidder. Currently, design and procurement of materials processes
are underway. The project is expected to begin major construction efforts in spring 2013 and be
completed by December 2013. The intent of the project is to make the route trafficable for
another three years to allow the Ministry of Public Works enough time to find an international
donor that is willing to build an alternative route to the Salang Tunnel. The search for an
international donor is underway, and thus far, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank
have both expressed interest in funding this project. In response to a request from GIRoA and to
complement activities underway, USAID will provide operations and maintenance support for
the Salang Tunnel for the next three years.
Rail
Rail infrastructure remains limited in Afghanistan, despite a number of internationally-funded
rail projects. The Afghan Rail Authority (ARA) has been approved and a budget was created in
November 2012. The budget included staffing at 50 percent, as the other half will not be needed
until the second year of operation. This budget was not included as a line item in the Ministry of
Public Works (MoPW) budget for this year, primarily because the Afghan government could not
fund the ARA. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union (EU) have come up
with a way to fund the top five to seven positions for this year, provided that MoPW appoints
and funds the director’s position. This proposal was sent up in January 2013, and as of February
7, there has been little to no movement on this action.
The ARA is urgently needed, as there are several governmental and non-governmental
organizations considering the possibility of constructing and operating rail in and through
Afghanistan. Without the ARA, no regulatory authority exists to set rail construction standards
or a standardized rail gauge for the nation. Three to five different organizations have conducted
rail feasibility studies for the Afghan government, which must make a decision soon to
determine which study makes the most sense for the nation, stand up the leadership of the ARA,
and produce the basic rail construction laws, policies, and regulations to prove to the
international community that they are serious about the potential for railway operations within
their borders. Failure to do so will result in billions of dollars being pulled from this project and
reallocated to current projects that are making progress.
In addition to the budget, ADB has produced the legal and regulatory framework needed for the
ARA, which must be approved by Parliament. The legal and regulatory framework has been
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