Afghanistan has got its first railway line connecting it to Uzbekistan on its northern border. The 75 kilometer rail road main line between Termez and Mazar-e Sharif, is expected to provide a boost to economic progress for Afghanistan. Almost half of Afghanistan's imports pass through the border town of Hairatan with the railway expected to handle millions of tons of goods. The 165 million dollars project, financed by Japan and the United States, began in May and was one of the largest construction projects in Afghan history.