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By Rehan Khan
TASHKENT, August 31 (APP):Uzbekistan and China are deepening their centuries-old partnership with the launch of the long-anticipated China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, hailed as the ‘Building of the Century’ and a modern revival of the historic 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 multi-billion-dollar railway will become a strategic transit bridge linking East Asia with Europe and South Asia while boosting Uzbekistan’s role as a regional logistics hub.
The project, which began construction on December 27, 2024, in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyz Republic, will stretch 532.5 km along the Kashgar–Torugart–Makmal–Jalal-Abad–Andijan route. Once completed by 2030, the line is expected to transport 15 million tons of cargo annually, supported by 20 stations, 42 bridges, and 25 tunnels.
Officials said the railway will cut freight routes by over 1,000 km and reduce delivery time by a full week compared to existing China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan routes. This efficiency is expected to slash transportation costs, ultimately lowering market prices for goods and increasing 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 said, adding that the initiative complements multilateral cooperation frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Central Asia-China format.
China has already invested heavily in Uzbekistan’s economy through firms like Huawei, ZTE, Sinotruk, and Heng Bang Textile, while new logistics centers in Lanzhou, Qingdao, and the Chinese port of Lianyungang are being developed to streamline cargo collection, sorting, and distribution for bilateral trade.
Analysts project that by 2040, cargo volumes on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route could quadruple, potentially diverting 10 million tons of goods bound for Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The project is expected to create thousands of new jobs, boost regional supply chains, and reinforce Uzbekistan’s geoeconomic standing. Experts also stress its broader implications: enhancing political stability, regional 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 noted.