China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway May Be Completed Ahead of Schedule

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway could be completed at least one year ahead of the original schedule, Uzbekistan's Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov said in an interview with the Uzbekistan 24 television channel.

According to the minister, around 17% of construction work has already been completed. Work is currently under way on eight major bridges, while more than 10,000 workers and over 7,000 units of specialised equipment have been deployed at the construction sites.

"We have personally seen that, under the supervision of the head of state, a project originally expected to take at least five years can be completed at least one year ahead of schedule," Makhkamov said.

He also noted that Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China had agreed to reduce border crossing times, remove transport and logistics barriers, digitalise permit documentation and, in the future, move towards a permit-free freight transport regime.

According to Makhkamov, cargo traffic between China and Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan has increased sevenfold. He said the new railway would strengthen Uzbekistan's transit potential and provide an additional alternative transport and logistics corridor connecting the country with China.

During talks between the leaders of the two countries, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev described the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as the "project of the century" that would transform the geopolitical position of the region.

Construction of the railway officially began on 27 December 2024 in Jalal-Abad. Under the project, the line will run along the Kashgar–Torugart–Makmal–Jalal-Abad–Andijan route.

The railway will have a total length of 532.53 km, including approximately 312 km across Kyrgyzstan.

Under the intergovernmental agreement, the project is preliminarily valued at US$4.7 billion. China will hold a 51% stake in the joint project company, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will each own 24.5%.

Of the total project cost, about US$2.3 billion will be provided by China as a 35-year loan, with the remaining amount to be contributed by the shareholders as equity in proportion to their ownership stakes.