As earlier reported, Uzbekistan Temir Yollari started to construct Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railroad on 22 January 2010.

The Uzbek company will construct and commission 75 km railroad and several stations, as well as reconstruct Hairatan station within the project.

The project is financed due to US$165 million grant of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and US$5 million of own funds of the Afghanistan Government.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said that specialists of Uzbekistan Temir Yollari laid 70 km railroad at the end of September 2010.

He said that 747 Uzbek specialists and 81 units of construction equipments are used in implementation of the project.

The ADB press release said that the railway line will help bring trade and humanitarian aid from the border town of Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan’s second largest city.