Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Thursday in Balkh province with the head of Uzbekistan’s Railway Administration.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Uzbek officials said during the meeting that they plan to build a new 1.5-kilometer railway line at Nayebabad Station along the Hairatan–Mazar-e-Sharif railway route. They also intend to construct several warehouses along the line for loading and unloading goods.

Baradar welcomed the initiative and instructed officials of the Ministry of Public Works to jointly carry out the technical and construction work with the Uzbek side.

The construction of the new railway line and warehouses is expected to increase the capacity of Hairatan Port and provide greater facilities for traders.