Tajikistan, Uzbekistan start rebuilding southern railroad
DUSHANBE. Feb 16 (Interfax) - The resumption of rail traffic between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the Hoshadi-Amuzang stretch is advantageous to both countries and their neighbors, Tajik Transport Minister Khudoyor Khudoyorzoda told a press conference in Dushanbe.
"Nearly all national agricultural products are made in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan. After rail traffic stopped, agricultural products were taken to Kyrgyzstan by truck and sent to third countries by rail from there. We are exporting cement to Afghanistan via the Lower Panj checkpoint. If rail traffic is restored, we will be able to transport cement by rail from Javan to Afghanistan's Mazar-i-Sharif via Termez," Khudoyorzoda said.
The proposal that rail traffic between Hoshadi and Amuzang be restored was made at a recent meeting of the Tajik-Uzbek intergovernmental commission, he said.
"We have travelled to our part of the railroad together with Tajik rail executives and inspected the line from Dushanbe to Hoshadi, the border with Uzbekistan. We have given some instructions, and repairmen are now at work. To our knowledge, colleagues in Uzbekistan are also repairing the rail line," Khudoyorzoda said.
Rail traffic between Hoshadi and Amuzang stopped in November 2011 after the Uzbek authorities deconstructed the track they called dilapidated.