Uzbekistan new indd

participated very actively in restoring the motor road 
between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul. Between 2003 
and 2011, Uzbek specialists restored and reopened 
eleven bridges along this route. Another major proj-
ect in Afghanistan has been the construction of the 
rail branch line from Khairaton to Mazar-i-Sharif 
(75 kilometers). This project was carried out during 
the period 2009- 2011 on the basis of an agreement 
concluded in 2009 between the State Joint-Stock 
Railway Company (SJRC) Uzbekiston Temir Yullari 
(the operator of the project) and the government of 
Afghanistan. The project itself included the laying of 
the railway line and the building of a freight terminal 
and accompanying infrastructure in Mazar-i-Sharif.
The total funds allocated to the project were 
about $180 million, of which $165 million was a grant 
from the Asian Development Bank and $15 million 
came from the government of Afghanistan. The line 
came into operation at the end of 2011. The volume 
2 Economist Intelligence Unit (“Uzbekistan: Country Report,” The Economist Intelligence Unit, London, June 2003, June 2004, June 2005, June 2006, 
June 2007, June 2008, June 2009, June 2010, June 2011, March 2012).

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Constraints and Opportunities for Uzbek-Afghan Economic Relations
165
of freight predicted for the initial stage is 7 million 
tons a year, subsequently rising to 20 million tons.