Afghan railway revenue 30pc up this year: Mirzakwal

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Railway Authority (ARA) collected three and half billion afghanis in revenue during the outgoing solar year, showing a 30 percent increase over last year’s returns.

ARA Assistant Administration and Finance head MirwaisMirzakwal told Pajhwok Afghan News that Afghanistan was connected through the railroad with Uzbekistan in Hiratan Port and with Turkmenistan in Aqina Andkhoi Port.

He said Afghan businessmen used the ports for their trade activities with the two neighbouring countries.

Mirzakwal said in the outgoing solar year, the ARA generated over three billion afghanis revenue.

He added the revenue collected this year was 30 percent more than the revenue collected in the past year. He said the revenue had been dispatched to the national treasury.

When asked how the revenue surged, Mirzakwal said that other routes had been closed and most of the exports and imports took place through railway tracks which helped increase the revenue.

In addition, he said, transparency and reforms in ARA also contributed to the surge in revenue.

He said the railway track from Heart’s Torghondi was also operational but according to the agreement, Turkmenistan collected the revenue of exports and imports.

He said once Turkmenistan generated revenue to compensate their expense on the railroad construction, Afghanistan would start collecting the revenue which would further help improve the country’s income.

Mirzakwal said trains using the railway track were charged tariff and $10 were charged against one tonne of load, which was economical compared to air and transport charges.

Nh/ma

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