High-speed electric train will begin operating from Tashkent to Khiva next year

Officials have been instructed to procure six high-speed electric trains in cooperation with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem and to launch the first of them next year on the Tashkent–Urganch–Khiva route. This was announced on 13 November during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s review of ongoing work and future plans in the railway sector.

According to the information provided, the wide-scale transformation underway in the railway network has begun to yield positive results. Last year, the sector ended the year with net profit for the first time, and in the first nine months of this year, net profit exceeded 800 billion soums. Transit and passenger transport, as well as export and investment volumes, continue to grow.

During the presentation, it was noted that it is necessary not to limit progress to these results but to continue expanding the quality and coverage of railway services in line with population and economic growth, while further reducing costs across the sector.

It was emphasized that analysing costs, identifying losses and reducing production expenses by up to 20 percent is possible by introducing artificial-intelligence-based monitoring across all stages, from transport calculations to traffic flow management.

It was noted that passenger and freight transport volumes must be increased by at least twofold between 2026 and 2030.

To achieve this, plans include building 151 kilometres of new railway lines, electrifying 182 kilometres of existing tracks, and modernising 27 current stations along with 1,000 kilometres of railway.

In particular, new electrified railway lines will be built along the Nurafshon–Pskent–Buka–Bekobod–Boyovut–Yangi’er and Khavos–Dashtobod routes. Plans also include electrifying the Qumqo‘rg‘on–Quduqli, Samarkand–Urgut and Baytqo‘rg‘on–Parkent lines, as well as increasing capacity along the Tashkent–Samarkand, To‘qimachi–Angren and Angren–Pop routes.

To improve suburban railway services across the country, it was proposed to add 15 new routes to the existing 40.

Specifically, it was noted that launching suburban train services on routes such as Tashkent–Nurafshon–Ohangaron–Angren, Navoi–Zarafshon–Uchquduq, Qo‘qon–Namangan–Andijon–Marg‘ilon, Termiz–Qumqo‘rg‘on–Boysun–Darband, Nukus–Shovot–Urganch–Khiva, Jizzakh–Do‘stlik–Aydar-Arnasay Lake and Qarshi–Shahrisabz would create more convenient travel conditions for daily commuters.

The meeting also discussed the expansion of the high-speed network. The President instructed officials to accelerate the commissioning of the 102-kilometre Navoi–Bukhara railway line. It was noted that the launch of this line would significantly reduce time and costs in both freight and passenger transport.

Plans were also outlined to expand the fleet of locomotives and wagons for newly opened routes and newly constructed lines in the coming years.

In particular, Uzbekistan intends to purchase 38 mainline locomotives and 50 shunting and hybrid shunting locomotives from China. In cooperation with Hyundai Rotem, six high-speed electric trains will be imported, with the first to be launched next year on the Tashkent–Urganch–Khiva route. As a result, the travel time along this route is expected to be reduced from the current 14 hours to 7.5 hours.

Additionally, Uzbekistan plans to produce 250 modern passenger carriages and purchase 23 intercity electric trains to improve passenger convenience. The country aims to build 10,000 freight wagons, repair more than 6,000 wagons and carry out capital repairs on 12 electric locomotives.

The need to increase public-private partnership projects in the railway sector was also highlighted.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of practical work on the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project. The President underscored the strategic significance of this railway in enhancing transport connectivity in Central Asia and strengthening the country’s transit potential, and issued instructions to ensure quality in construction works.

At the conclusion of the meeting, responsible officials were given specific instructions to implement railway modernisation and expansion projects on time and with high quality, to optimise costs through the extensive use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, and to create an even more convenient, safe and reliable environment for passengers and businesses.