World · South & Central Asia · 5 hrs ago
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and UAE advance study of CASA railway
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE signed an agreement to study the Central Asia-South Asia railway project, known as CASA.
The planned route would run through Afghanistan to Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar.
The landlocked Central Asian countries lack direct access to the sea, so their trade depends on transport links through neighboring states.
The railway could give Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan another route to global markets and make Pakistan a transit hub for the region.
The agreement starts technical and economic studies, and the countries will form a joint working group to assess the project.
There is no construction timetable, total cost or finalized financing plan, and the route’s value will depend on costs, travel time and security.
Kazakhstan says the railway could carry up to 10 million tons of cargo a year, but the next step is to assess whether the project is practical and competitive.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to advance studies for the Central Asia-South Asia railway project.
The planned route would run through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, connecting Central Asia to the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar.
The parties will assess the project’s technical, economic and financial feasibility and establish a joint working group.
The agreement marks a move from political commitment toward testing the project’s practical viability.
The document does not set a construction timetable, total project cost or finalized financing package.
- Who
- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.
- What
- They signed an MoU to conduct studies on the CASA railway project and assess its feasibility.
- When
- Sept. 30, 2026.
- Where
- The planned route runs through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, toward Karachi and Gwadar.
- Why
- The project aims to give Central Asian countries another trade route to the sea and global markets.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Feasibility work began on the Trans-Afghan railway, a key component of the CASA project.
Uzbekistan released estimates putting the Trans-Afghan railway’s cost above $7 billion.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE signed an MoU to study the CASA railway project.
- Participants
- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates
- Agreement date
- Sept. 30, 2026
- Planned route
- Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan
- Pakistani ports
- Karachi and Gwadar
- Expected cargo capacity
- Up to 10 million tons annually to Pakistani ports, according to Kazakhstan’s statements