https://twitter.com/home https://www.facebook.com/Shabbir.Hussain191By Shabbir Hussain
Tashkent, Sept 01(Alliance News): Uzbekistan and China have launched construction of the long-anticipated China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a multi-billion-dollar project hailed as the “Building of the Century” and a modern revival of the Silk Road.
According to Usmonjon Mukhtorjonov, Head of the Department at the Center for the Study of Transport and Logistics Development, and Isomiddin Absattarov, Chief Specialist of the Center, the railway will serve as a strategic transit bridge linking East Asia with Europe and South Asia, while elevating Uzbekistan’s role as a regional logistics hub.
Construction began on December 27, 2024, in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyz Republic. The 532.5 km route will run along Kashgar–Torugart–Makmal–Jalal-Abad–Andijan and is expected to be completed by 2030. Officials said the line will be capable of transporting 15 million tons of cargo annually, supported by 20 stations, 42 bridges, and 25 tunnels.
The project will cut freight routes by over 1,000 km and reduce delivery time by a full week compared to the existing China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan routes.
Analysts predict this efficiency will reduce transportation costs, lower consumer prices, and increase competitiveness for regional exporters.
“Uzbekistan and China share not only historical ties dating back to the Silk Road but also a common vision for stability, security, and development,” Mukhtorjonov and Absattarov noted, emphasizing the project’s alignment with cooperation frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Central Asia-China dialogue.
China has already invested extensively in Uzbekistan’s economy through firms like Huawei, ZTE, Sinotruk, and Heng Bang Textile. New logistics centers in Lanzhou, Qingdao, and Lianyungang port are being developed to streamline cargo management for bilateral trade.
Projections show that by 2040, cargo volumes on the new route could quadruple, diverting up to 10 million tons of goods bound for Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The railway is also expected to create thousands of jobs, strengthen supply chains, and enhance Uzbekistan’s geoeconomic influence.
Experts stress the broader implications of the initiative, saying it will reinforce political stability, security, and transport resilience across Central Asia.
“The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is more than an infrastructure project – it is a new Silk Road that will reshape trade dynamics across Eurasia,” officials said.
