Since February 1, Uzbek Railways has suspended transportation to Afghanistan due to the Afghan side’s failure to fulfill its obligations on technical work, the company’s press service said on Wednesday.
⠀
“Due to the fact that the Afghan Railway Administration does not manage to implement the agreed measures on time, it is announced that railway transportation to Afghanistan will be suspended from February 1,” the Uzbek Railways press service said.
⠀
The company explained that in December, representatives of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan agreed on an action plan for the gradual implementation of technical work by Afghan railway workers on the territory of Afghanistan by February 1, 2023, and also to sign a new contract for the operation and maintenance of the Hairaton-Mazar-i-Sharif line by January 27. in Afghanistan.
⠀
The press service clarified that in order to ensure the transportation of essential goods to Afghanistan, the company will assist in their delivery: road transport from logistics centers and a river port in Uzbek Termez on the Uzbek-Afghan border will be used.
⠀
“Information about the opening of the railway will be supplemented,” the Uzbek Railways added.
⠀
In November 2010, Uzbek Railways completed the construction of the Hairaton-Mazar-i-Sharif line in Afghanistan, 75 kilometers long and costing $129 million. A year later, the company created the Sogdiana Trans subsidiary for the operation and maintenance of the constructed road. According to the company, over the ten years of Sogdiana Trans’s activity, about 28 million tons of cargo was delivered along the Hairaton-Mazar-i-Sharif road to Afghanistan and in transit to other countries. Since then, the contract for the operation of the line has been repeatedly extended.
