The Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan has announced the commencement of the development of a feasibility study for the construction of the Tashkent – Samarkand railway, as reported by the agency's press service.
On February 14, Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev, South Korean Ambassador Won Do Yong, head of the Korean Exim Bank representative office in Tashkent Sangjin Kanga, first deputy chairman of "Uzbekistan Railways" Hikmatulla Rahmetov, and representatives from the consortium of Korean companies discussed the development of the feasibility study for the construction of a dedicated high-speed passenger railway between Tashkent and Samarkand.
The Ministry of Transport has reached an agreement on the development of the feasibility study with the consortium of companies Saman Engineering, Dong Myeong Engineering Consultants & Architecture Co., Ltd, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Korea National Railway, funded by a grant from the Exim Bank.
During the meeting, representatives from the Korean companies presented their plans for the feasibility study. Relevant documents were signed at the meeting, serving as the basis for moving to the practical stage of developing the project's feasibility study.
High-Speed Railway Tashkent – Samarkand
The plans to construct a separate line for high-speed traffic were discussed by the first deputy head of "Uzbekistan Railways" in November 2023. According to him, the current infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate the growing volume of passenger and freight transport.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the construction of high-speed railway corridors during the September meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's governing body in Samarkand. These corridors will follow the routes Tashkent – Samarkand and Samarkand – Navoi – Bukhara. The Turkish group Rönesans Holding may be involved in the construction.
Earlier, Spot reported that Uzbekistan and South Korea plan to increase the number of regular flights.