Uzbekistan unveils plans for a high-speed Tashkent–Samarkand rail line with a travel time of 1.5 hours

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The high-speed rail line between Tashkent and Samarkand will cut travel time to just one and a half hours, according to a presentation by the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan.

Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev stated that the feasibility study for the project was prepared with the support of Korea Eximbank, which provided a grant. He noted that six new Hyundai Rotem trains will begin arriving by the end of this year, with commissioning scheduled for early next year.

Choriev emphasized that the capacity of the country’s existing railway network is limited and can no longer accommodate the increasing flow of both passenger and transit freight traffic. According to him, it is no longer feasible to operate a single line for both types of transportation: the infrastructure has reached the limits of modernization, and further load increases are impossible. For this reason, the construction of a dedicated high-speed line has become essential for the development of the national transport system.

He added that the new line will connect the future international airport of Tashkent with “the heart of Samarkand.”

South Korean company Saman Engineering presented three route options for the future high-speed line. The first proposes a 282-km route with a travel time of 1 hour 26 minutes at an average speed of 185.7 km/h, and includes the construction of 74 bridges and three tunnels totaling 8.9 km. The second option envisions a 291.7-km route, a travel time of 1 hour 33 minutes, and the construction of 82 bridges and one 16-km tunnel. The third option exceeds 302 km in length, with an average speed of 166.9 km/h, enabling a travel time of 1 hour 45 minutes; it includes 105 bridges and two tunnels totaling 9.6 km.

Plans for a dedicated high-speed rail line were first announced in November 2023 by Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways, who stressed that the existing infrastructure was no longer sufficient for the growing passenger and freight volumes. In September 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reaffirmed the intention to begin construction of the Tashkent–Samarkand and Samarkand–Navoi–Bukhara high-speed lines during a meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s Board of Governors. Turkey’s Rönesans Holding is being considered as one of the potential partners for the project.

In February, the Ministry of Transport reached an agreement with a consortium of South Korean companies to begin preparing the feasibility study, financed by a grant from Korea Eximbank. The Export-Import Bank of China and the European Investment Bank have also expressed interest in participating in the project, including its financing.

In July, Minister of Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov announced that the feasibility study is entering its final stage and will be fully completed by the end of the year. Preparation of the tender documentation will begin in January 2026. According to the financial strategy of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, construction of the Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line will start in 2026.