Hairatan – Mazar-e-Sharif railway to be completed soon

Workers in Hairatan have started laying the tracks of Afghanistan’s first railway, which will link Mazar-e Sharif to Termez in Uzbekestan.

Officials hope the project will encourage trade links, business in the region to thrive and people to travel. The first 75 km-section of the railway will link Mazar-e Sharif to the Uzbek border.

This railroad will spark an economic revolution not only in Afghanistan but across the region.” The project aims to unlock the agricultural, textile and mineral wealth of Afghanistan and provide access export markets in Asia and Europe. It gains Afghanistan credibility among its neighbors and makes Afghanistan a stable transit hub in the regional trade between Pakistan and the Central Asian countries and China. The new railway line will connect Mazar-e-Sharif to Hairatan, on the northern border with Uzbekistan, removing bottlenecks, boosting regional trade, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian assistance.

The line is being built by Uzbekistan’s state-owned rail company with a grant of $165 million dollars from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Work is scheduled for completion in September.

Plans for the future include a link from Mazar-e Sharif to Herat. Experts say a railway system is vital to Afghanistan’s ability to stand alone and restore its status as a transit hub like it was during the glory days of the Silk Route.