Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan Temir Yollari (Uzbekistan Railways) discussed with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem the concept of an agreement to acquire eight new high-speed electric trains. The talks were held during InnoTrans-2026, a transport technology exhibition in Berlin, Uzbekistan Temir Yollari said.
This was the Uzbek railway company’s first participation in InnoTrans. The delegation was led by Khikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board.
Under the agreements reached with Hyundai Rotem, each of the new trainsets is planned to include a separate VIP carriage equipped with capsule-style seats. The sides also agreed to modernize the final two carriages of high-speed trains already in operation.
The plans call for replacing the business-class seats in these carriages with VIP seats equipped with tables, with one carriage in each trainset receiving the upgrade. The final configuration of the new trains, including the number of seats and technical specifications, will be determined during the preparation of the technical documentation.
Separate talks were held with China’s CRRC Corporation Limited. The sides discussed establishing a service center in Uzbekistan for the repair and maintenance of locomotives at the industrial facilities of Uzbekistan Temir Yollari.
They also reviewed a project to manufacture modern freight wagons whose design would allow them to operate on different track gauges. Technical support for new trains and the purchase of locomotives were also discussed.
During a meeting with the European Commission, Uzbekistan Temir Yollari representatives discussed international cooperation and the development of the country’s railway network. Peteris Ustubs, Director for Asia, Central Asia and the Pacific, expressed the EU’s readiness to support the development of Uzbekistan’s railway infrastructure.
The European direction was also discussed with the administration of Serbian Railways. The sides considered possible participation by Uzbekistan Temir Yollari in future projects to modernize Serbia’s main railway lines.
Uzbekistan Temir Yollari and Deutsche Bahn reached agreements on sending Uzbek specialists for professional training. The sides also agreed to cooperate on joint research and development in the railway sector.
As part of InnoTrans-2026, the Uzbek delegation also held talks with Huawei and other technology companies. The main topics included digitalization of the railway sector and the introduction of innovative solutions.
Following the negotiations with international partners, Uzbekistan Temir Yollari said it intends to expand cooperation in rolling stock modernization, service infrastructure development, personnel training and the digital transformation of the railway sector.
