Afghanistan skipped the age of railroads . The proposed MCC railroad runs right through heavily-contested Taliban country . The first railroad in America was built by a Frenchman named John Jacob Astor, who had been born on Staten Island and moved to New York City as an infant with his parents. Rail lines seen crucial to extracting Afghanistan 's mineral wealth .
Afghanistan skipped the age of railroads . The first railroad in America was built by a Frenchman named John Jacob Astor, who had been born on Staten Island and moved to New York City as an infant with his parents. Rail lines seen crucial to extracting Afghanistan 's mineral wealth .