China—Kyrgyzstan—Uzbekistan railway project may be completed two years earlier than planned. Construction is progressing faster than the original schedule and could be finished in four years instead of six. Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Head of O’zbekiston Temir Yo’llari, reported.
He emphasized that the construction pace exceeds expectations.
«The railway project is currently ahead of schedule. We initially planned to complete it in six years, but given the current pace, it may be possible to finish it in four years,» Rakhmetov said.
He also explained the benefits of launching the route.
«First, it shortens the distance between China and Europe, as well as between China and the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, by more than 1,000 kilometers compared to existing routes. This has a direct and significant impact on our rapidly developing economy,» the deputy head of O’zbekiston Temir Yo’llari noted.
Uzbekistan’s Transport Minister Ilhom Makhkamov stated that the China—Kyrgyzstan—Uzbekistan railway creates the shortest regional route linking Central and South Asia. The prospective Trans-Afghan corridor will provide Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries with direct access to the Indian Ocean through Pakistani ports and will significantly increase the region’s transit potential. In his opinion, these two routes will eventually become part of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, «forming a continuous multimodal route from China to Europe.»
Construction of the railway was launched on December 27, 2024 in Jalal-Abad. Azamat Sakiev, General Director of Kyrgyz Temir Zholu state enterprise, previously stated that the construction was expected to take around six years.
According to the project, the international transport corridor will follow a combined route: Kashgar — Torugart — Makmal — Jalal-Abad — Andijan.
The railway will have a total length of 532.53 kilometers, with about 312 kilometers running through Kyrgyzstan.
The project’s estimated cost is $4.7 billion.
