locos as well as several sidings. The Khaf-Herat rail route has four sections, two in Iran and two in Afghanistan. Within Iran, section 1, running from Khaf to Sangan (), was completed in September 2016. Section 2, from Sangan to the Iran-Afghanistan border at Shamtiq (), was completed in October 2017. Section 3, running within Afghanistan from the border at Shamtiq–Jono to the town of Ghurian () was also completed. Section 4 is the line from Jono to Herat () which is being supported by Italy. Work is started on this line in December 2000, which ends at Herat International Airport, the fourth major airport in Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan are working on extending this rail route from Herat to Mazar-i-Sharif. Mazar-i-Sharif is already linked with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan via rail routes. Herat also is already linked with Turkmenistan via rail and road routes. India is also finalizing a plan to construct a railway line that will connect the port of Chabahar in Iran, being built with Indian help, to the mineral-rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan. As far back as 2011, seven Indian companies had acquired rights to mine central Afghanistan's Hajigak region, which contain Asia's largest deposit of iron ore. The Government of India has pledged to spend $2bn in developing supporting infrastructure. In May 2016, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Iran, an agreement was signed to develop two berths at Chabahar port and to build a rail connection from Chabahar to the existing Iranian railway network. The link line would connect a point somewhere near the town of Bam to Chabahar port, as part of North–South Transport Corridor. Ircon International, a subsidiary of the state-owned Indian Railways, has been tasked with this project. The establishment of the port of Chabahar's connection to the country's railway plan, is under study and consideration. With completion of the Kerman–Bam-Zahedan railway and its future connection to the port of Chabahar, this port will connect to the Trans-Iranian Railway, and thus to both Afghanistan and Central Asia. On 10 December 2020, the first rail link between Iran and Afghanistan on Khaf – Herat route between Khaf and Rahzanak in Afghanistan for a distance of was formally inaugurated. The works on remaining section of the project between Rahzanak and Herat is in progress. The works on both sides are done as development assistance to Afghanistan by Iran. The railway is part