HERAT:  The railway project, officially called Khaf-Herat railway inaugurated on Thursday.An Iranian goods train carrying tonnes of agricultural products chugged into a western Afghan province on Thursday as the two countries marked the opening of their first shared railway network.

The train route so far links the Iranian city of Khaf with the Afghan town of Rozanak about 150 kilometres away, but is scheduled to be expanded to reach Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city.

The $75 million project began in 2007, with Iran funding construction on both sides of the border as part of its development assistance to Afghanistan.

Crowds of Afghans gathered at Rozanak station for the arrival of the first blue-painted train.

“The Khaf-Herat railway’s significance is not only for Iran & Afghanistan, but for the greater region. As a gateway that'll boost trade and people-to-people exchanges, it will also contribute to regional stability & development. Turning our frontiers into bridges is a priority, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  tweeted.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, addressing the inauguration ceremony via video link, welcomed the move as an “important step for economic revival and development in both the countries”.

He called the railroad “a precious gift from Iran” that would help restore the Silk Road, an ancient trade route that spread prosperity across Asia. The inauguration saw cargo trains depart from opposite ends of the line.

The project was a gateway to Europe for Afghanistan, said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. “I see the prosperity of Iran and Afghanistan in this railway,” he said, also speaking via video link from Tehran.