The railway administrations of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend the contract on the operation and maintenance of the Hairaton-Mazar-i-Sharif railway.
Sogdiana Trans LLC, a subsidiary of Temir Yollari of Uzbekistan, will continue to operate the railway line. This corridor crosses China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and connects to the Hairatan-Mazar-i-Sharif railway. The ministry spokesperson added that 4,200 containers of goods were transported between Afghanistan and China through this rail corridor in 2024. The new agreement will increase the volume of traffic between the participating countries. Sogdiana Trans was established in December 2011 to operate and maintain the Hairatan – Mazari – Sharif railway line. Uzbekistan Temir Yollari completed construction of the 75-kilometer line in November 2010 at a cost of $129 million. About half of Afghanistan’s imports and a significant part of the humanitarian aid cargo pass through Hairaton station.
