Taliban-run Ministry of Public Works said Thursday that it has renewed the agreement for operations and maintenance of the Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway with Uzbekistan through 2026.
The ministry said the agreement was signed during a recent visit to Uzbekistan by Mohammad Ishaq Sahebzada, Taliban deputy minister for railways at the Ministry of Public Works.
Under the terms, the Uzbek firm Sogdiana Trans will continue to manage operations and maintenance along the strategic rail line, which connects northern Afghanistan to Uzbekistan’s transport network through the Hairatan border crossing.
Ashraf Haqshenas, a Taliban spokesperson for the ministry, said the extension applies to the 2025 and 2026, and includes provisions for both rail operations and maintenance of the Hairatan port infrastructure.
In addition to the contract extension, Taliban and Uzbek officials signed a separate agreement to begin repairs and upgrades on the Hairatan terminal and rail infrastructure, according to a ministry statement.
The ministry said the two sides also reached agreements on broader cooperation in rail development, including initiating a feasibility study for the proposed Afghan-Trans project — a cross-country rail link — and advancing technical work on the long-discussed Mazar-e-Sharif to Herat railway, which would extend connectivity across northern and western Afghanistan.
The Hairatan–Mazar-i-Sharif railway spans approximately 75 kilometers (46.6 miles), connecting the northern border town of Hairatan to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. This single-track, 1,520 mm gauge line was constructed between 2010 and 2011 with funding from the Asian Development Bank and the Afghan government. It serves as a critical freight corridor, linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan and the broader Central Asian rail network.
