New railway project between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan due to be completed in 2027 has been launched, the press service of the Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) said.
According to KTZ, the new railway line will allow the reorientation of cargo from the existing Saryagash-Tashkent section to the new branch, ease the load Saryagash station and increase export shipments to Uzbekistan.
“For these purposes, Kazakhstan Railways, a portfolio company of Samruk-Kazyna, is implementing a 286 billion tenge ($545.8 million) project. To date, about 100 km of the 203 km track has been laid. Reportedly, 46 units of road construction equipment and more than 70 people are involved in the implementation of the project.
The company added that the new Darbaza-Maktaaral line will also connect two remote Maktaaral and Zhetysay districts of the Turkestan province with the rest of Kazakhstan.
the new railway project commenced in late November 2023. At that time, it was reported that the length of the Darbaza-Maktaaral railway line would be 152 km.
The government of Kazakhstan reported that a large infrastructure project was being implemented on the instructions of the president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and was aimed at further developing the transport and transit potential of the country. A new checkpoint across the Kazakh-Uzbek state border will be opened as part of the project.
The project is divided into two phases. The phase I involves the construction of the Erdaut-Maktaaral- with outreach to the Syrdarya station.
The phase II includes the commissioning of the Zhetysay- Uzbekistan Frontier Rail Line with outreach to the Syrdarya station.
