to the border with Tajikistan, although it is unclear when this will happen. Afghanistan–Iran rail service The Iranian railhead closest to the Afghan border is at Khaf near Mashhad, and this is a standard gauge freight line. Since 2002, Afghan and Iranian officials have been working to extend this line east to Herat in Afghanistan. It was reported in December 2020 that the Herat-Khaf railway, which is long, had finally been inaugurated as far as Rahzanak, leaving just to complete the line as far as Herat. Details of the route are as follows (taken from Google Earth/Bing Maps). The new route commences in Iran at a junction at Khaf station with a mineral branch where a balloon loop is provided for international locos to turn round. The route travels lower down the mountainside than the mine branch and it appears there has already been a diversion possibly to avoid mine workings/tailings. There are sidings and passing loops on this section. The route continues along the southern flank of the mountain range crossing many alluvial fans before entering a wide valley that leads to the summit. The rail route makes use of a section of Iran that juts into Afghanistan and remains on the north side of the water course. Near the end of the valley the railway seems to have a passing loop and wye just before the border at the summit cutting though details on Google Earth are indistinct and not present at all on Bing Maps, which generally has more updated maps. The summit cutting appears to be at above sea level after which the railway descends with many curves into the Faruk Aqa valley. The railway now heads north east through foothills on the contour approximately, north of the villages of Faruk Aqa and Rebat-e-Tork to reach a sandy plain forming a part of the wide Hari Rud river valley. There are some passing loops on this section with one just north of Faruk Aqa at . equipped with a turning wye, and another further along at . The route crosses the Hari Rud flood plain diagonally on embankments with a bridge over the main channel. It terminates (as of 10/12/20) at a new passenger station and freight transfer yard called Rahzanak ( above sea level) about east of the village of the same name on the Islam Qala-Herat road where a wye is provided for turning