Uzbekistan is expediting major rail infrastructure projects, the Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov told the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel following the government meeting chaired by the president on Thursday.
According to him, these steps are aimed at expediting transit and increasing the speed of freight movement.
This includes modernizing railway junctions on the border with Kazakhstan and erecting bypass lines around the capital.
"We are talking about modernizing junctions on the border with Kazakhstan, as well as erecting bypass lines so that freight from the valley can bypass Tashkent and travel directly to neighboring provinces," Makhkamov noted.
The minister noted that president Shavkat Mirziyoyev had approved the infrastructure program and had given directives to expedite its completion.
Now, 70% of external freight passes through Chukursoy station in Tashkent, which creates "bottlenecks, delays, and queues." At a meeting in May, relocating was proposed of freight stations outside the capital and build larger stations in the Yangiyul district and near New Tashkent.
The Ozodlik to Gulistan bypass line project, which would double freight volumes without ingress in the capital, is also on the table.
Back in September 2023, the president pointe out the need to explore the possibility of relocating railway freight stations outside cities. This would reduce freight traffic in cities and attract additional investment to districts.
