Mazar-e Sharif serves as the major trading center in northern Afghanistan, which is the first city to connect itself by rail with a neighboring country. The rail service from Mazar-e Sharif to Uzbekistan that began in 2011 is expected to rapidly boost the economy of the city. Cargo on freight trains arrives to the last station near Mazar-i-Sharif Airport, where the goods are reloaded onto trucks or airplanes and sent to their last destinations across Afghanistan. As the industry grows, it will provide employment for many local residents as well as large revenues for the city officials.
The local economy is dominated by trade, agriculture and karakul production; small scale oil and gas exploitation have also boosted the city's prospects
