The Suez Canal changed the geopolitical and geo-economic landscape of the world. Before the Suez Canal, South Africa was vital as a pit stop for every ship going to Europe - Asia route. After the Suez Canal, South Africa’s prominence fell in favour of Egypt. Today, Iran is in shoes of South Africa, and after construction of Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line, Pakistan can become Egypt for Central Asia. UAP promises to cut five days journey to the Arabian Sea as compared to the current Iranian route taken by Central Asian Republics. But there is a fine print, a technical hitch you may say, which can prevent this.

Every time a train crosses a border, it literally falls off the tracks. That’s the fate of cargo when two mismatched gauges meet—a phenomenon called “break of gauge.” For the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway, gauge choice isn’t a dry technicality: it’s the very fulcrum of who wins the next Great Game in Central Asia.

When two rail networks of different widths collide, freight must be unloaded from one set of wagons and shifted onto another. That process adds labour, equipment and handling time at every border crossing. For a single container, transshipment can tack on 12–24 hours and 10–20 percent extra cost........

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