South Korean engineers present three route options for new high-speed line between Tashkent and Samarkand

Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev noted in his remarks during the third roundtable on public–private partnership on 19 November that the project’s feasibility study was prepared with the assistance of the Export–Import Bank of Korea, which provided a grant. The recently purchased six Hyundai Rotem trains will begin arriving at the end of this year and will enter service early next year.

“Transit capacity of Uzbekistan’s existing railways is limited because, in addition to passenger transport, there are freight trains passing through the country. Using a single line simultaneously for passenger and freight services is practically impossible, as we cannot further upgrade it. Of course, we are optimizing operational issues, but it is important to build a dedicated high-speed railway line,” Choriev said.

According to him, the high-speed railway will connect the new Tashkent International Airport and extend to the “heart of Samarkand”.

On 24 October, the South Korean company Saman Engineering presented three options for the Tashkent – Samarkand high-speed line based on proposals from the Ministry of Transport, Uzbekistan Railways, and other agencies.

Option 1

In the first option, the railway will be 282 km long, with a travel time of 1 hour 26 minutes and an average speed of 185.7 km/h. A total of 74 bridges and 3 tunnels with a combined length of 8.9 km are planned.

Option 2

The second option proposes a 291.7 km line. The average speed would decrease to 179.4 km/h, and travel time would rise to 1 hour 33 minutes. The project includes 82 bridges and 1 tunnel measuring 16 km.

Option 3

The third option envisions a high-speed line exceeding 302 km. With an average speed of 166.9 km/h, the journey from Tashkent to Samarkand would take 1 hour 45 minutes. The route includes 105 bridges and 2 tunnels with a total length of 9.6 km.