Uzbek media reports say Uzbekistan and Afghanistan resumed rail transportation via Hairatan dry port on February 10 after freight trains along the line were suspended ten days ago.
Uzbekistan Railways (Uzbek state-run railway company) has confirmed the decision to restore services. A statement released by the Uzbek state-run railway company, in particular, says a meeting with participation of senior representatives of Uzbekistan Railway and Afghanistan Railways Department took place last week.
Uzbekistan Railways said a new contract was signed between Afghan Railway Administration and Uzbekistan’s Sogdiana Trans on further operation of the Hairatan — Mazar-e-Sharif line.
The Taliban-run railway authority also confirmed that the freight train consisting of 50 cars crossed the border on February 10.
Recall, Uzbekistan suspended railway cargo shipments to Afghanistan on February 1, noting that the Taliban had failed to fulfill the technical obligations as per an agreement signed in late December.
Uzbekistan Railways built a 75-kilometer rail link connecting the Hairatan dry port and Mazar-e-Sharif in 2010. Sogdiana Trans was established a year later to operate and service this line.
Funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the railway highlights the cooperation between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, both member countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. Uzbekistan’s national railway company constructed the railway, including three station buildings, two buildings for passing loops, automatic signaling, and gated automatic-level crossing.
Hairatan is one of the major transporting, shipping and receiving locations in Afghanistan.[2][3][4][5] It is also an official border crossing between the people of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
