Experience on several ongoing and completed projects in Afghanistan has shown that project implementation is delayed due to two main factors: start-up delays and adverse security issues. Taking advance actions before grant or loan effectiveness can easily address these problems, as demonstrated on this project. Timely actions were taken to speed up implementation readiness, such as advance procurement of works and consulting services, award of contracts, site handover, and timely establishment of a fully staffed project implementation unit. These actions successfully avoided start-up delays. Furthermore, the provision of comprehensive security arrangements, with advance administrative approvals, resulted in an uninterrupted project implementation. Based on a careful assessment of the security arrangements, about 463 police personnel were deployed along the railway line and at about 62 check posts.
Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project