Hairatan railway port sees over 280 wagon arrivals daily from Central Asia

The Hairatan railway port in northern Afghanistan receives between 280 and 300 freight wagons daily from Central Asian countries, highlighting its growing role in connecting Afghanistan to regional and international markets.

The 75-kilometer Hairatan–Mazar-e-Sharif railway links Afghanistan with Uzbekistan and provides a key route for transporting goods from Central Asia, China and other international markets into the landlocked country.

Sayed Qadim Karimi, head of railway transportation at Hairatan port, told China’s Xinhua news agency that trade activity had increased this year, with an average of 280 to 300 wagons arriving at the port each day.

He said the railway transports a wide range of goods to Afghanistan, including clothing, medical equipment, machinery and electrical equipment, adding that trade with China had expanded in recent years.

Afghan traders say the railway connection has helped strengthen commercial ties with China and other regional countries while making it easier to transport imported goods.

“We transport our goods from China by freight train via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and receive them at Hairatan port,” businessman Ahmad Agha told Xinhua.

Agha said trade with Chinese businesses offered promising opportunities and expressed hope that further railway development would strengthen commercial ties with Kazakhstan, Russia and European countries.

He added that rising cargo volumes had created employment opportunities for local residents, with hundreds of workers handling containers at the port daily to support their families.

Another Afghan businessman, Ahmad Farid Fardan, who imports women’s clothing and colorful fabrics from China, said the railway connection had strengthened trade relations between the two countries.

Fardan expressed hope that expanding railway networks would help Afghanistan broaden its trade and economic relations with China and other countries in the region.

The railway’s role in China-Afghanistan trade dates back to 2016, when the first cargo train from China reached Hairatan as part of a pilot project. In 2019, Afghanistan sent its first export train to China, carrying several containers of talc powder.

The Hairatan railway remains an important transport link for Afghanistan’s import and export activities, offering access to regional markets and broader trade networks extending to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China and Europe.