Uzbekistan loses right to manage Hairatan – Mazār-i-Sharīf railway

Mansour Fatih company of Kazakhstan will have the right to manage the Hairatan – Mazār-i-Sharīf railway, built and operated by Uzbekistan, Tolo News reports.

Allegedly, the Kazakh company has acquired the right to manage and provide services for the entire 106-kilometer railway system of Afghanistan.

“Until now, we have been paying $15 million to Sugdiyana-Trans UE (owned by Uzbekistan Railways JSC) and they were providing service for 22 kilometers of road in Hairatan port. The new company will provide services for 106 kilometers of roads,” Bakhtulrakhman Sharafat, acting head of the Afghan Railways Department, said.

He added that the Afghan side will pay $4.1 million a year to the new company.

According to Bisenbay Makhanokh, deputy head of Mansour Fatih company, the company won this contract through a tender.

Earlier, publications in Afghanistan reported that the “Taliban” government wants to take control of the Hairatan – Mazār-i-Sharīf railway. In particular, the Afghanistan Railways Authority (ARA) announced that the agreements on the use of the country’s railway stations with neighboring countries were concluded without taking into account the interests of Afghanistan, and that it is planned to revise these agreements. But the press service of Uzbekistan Railways JSC rejected these reports and stated that the Afghan side is satisfied with mutual cooperation.

For information, the Hairaton – Mazār-i-Sharīf railway with a project cost of $129 million and a length of 75 km was completed in November 2010. Since December 2011, Sugdiyana Trans UE, a subsidiary of Uzbekistan Railways joint-stock company, has been carrying out its management and maintenance work.