USD 8.5 Billion of local funds and from the international financing bodies will be invested in Uzbekistan by 2015 in transport infrastructure and communications in order to increase the country’s transit potential. Of the USD 8.5 Billion, USD 2.2 Billion will be invested in the development and electrification of the railways.
The rapid development of the economic share and foreign trade of Uzbekistan requires the rapid improvement of the transport system and the intensification of the transit potential and diversification of the international transport corridors.
The future forecasts on the integration of Uzbekistan into the international transport corridors have been discussed this year at a conference dedicated to the prospects of countries in Central Asia to access the global market through new corridors.
Participants have mentioned the importance of building Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran – Oman – Qatar transport corridor initiated by the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. This corridor will stimulate connections between the Central Asian countries and the Persian Gulf.
“By 2015, Uzbekistan will invest USD 4 Billion in improving the railway transport system”, declared AchilbayRamatov, President of Uzbekistan Railways. During his official visit to Iran, he announced that his country was building a railway corridor of 230 km to link Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Abdol Ali SahebMohammadi, President of Iranian Railways, declared in turn that “both parties wish to speed up the development of the line Chabahar – Khaf-Mazar-i-Sharif.” In October 2012, the railway companies in Uzbekistan and Iran signed a memorandum of cooperation in railway transport. According to the Investment Plan 2011-2015, over the next four years, Uzbekistan will electrify 1,000 km of railways. The long-awaited 75-km railway line Hairatan (Uzbekistan) to Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan) was commissioned in August 2011. The construction of this line was developed by Uzbekistan Railways but is opened only to freight traffic. The authorities also estimate the commissioning for passenger traffic in the near future. Moreover, Uzbekistan Railways plans to build railways to link the national network to other two Afghan cities, Kabul (the capital) and Kandahar.
Over the past 20 years, since Uzbekistan gained its independence, the country has made considerable efforts to improve passenger transport. The inauguration of the first high-speed line in Central Asia, Tashkent – Samarkand, has contributed to the modernisation and economic development of the Uzbek country in the region. Moreover, the plans of the railway company in Uzbekistan include the extension of this line in the near future to Bukhara and Khiva.
Afrosiyob, the high-speed trains travelling on Tashkent – Samarkand line, were thus called in the memory of the historical city with the same name in Samarkand region.
The modernisation of the 356-km line to allow trains to run at higher speeds has required investments of USD 100 Million (EUR 71 Million). The project has also included investments in the modernisation of railway stations. The new trains reduce three times the current 3.5-hour travel time.
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