“Cheaper than in China” – Uzbekistan Railways defends rising fares, says real costs are twice as high

According to him, the current fares do not cover operational expenses. “If you look at the actual spending, the price of an Afrosiyob ticket should be twice as high as it is today,” Rakhmetov said. At the same time, he noted that any price increase must be matched by improvements in service quality.

In Uzbekistan, passengers continue to rely on a single railway provider. While the company is legally divided into several internal enterprises – an arrangement officials describe as “breaking up the monopoly” – consumers still have no alternative service.

Passengers interviewed by Kun.uz say they are increasingly unhappy with the fares set on major routes, which rise every year. Experts responding to the publication’s questions argued that high prices stem from loans taken out by the company and growing operating costs.

However, Rakhmetov reiterated that tickets “are still being sold at a loss”, adding that the actual cost of travel is “twice as high” as the current fares.

“What determines the price? It comes from the expenses, first of all. But today Uzbekistan Railways sells tickets cheaper than its own costs. If we spend 1 soum, we sell that ticket for 50 tiyin. This is true for Afrosiyob and other trains as well,” he said.

He also argued that Uzbekistan’s ticket prices remain lower than those in China.

“If you buy a VIP ticket in China today, it can cost you $400 – and they don’t even offer food on board. Germany, all right, I won’t even compare with Germany because their GDP is very high. But China, for example, has a per-capita GDP that is closer to Uzbekistan’s. Their salaries are also a bit higher. Russia’s wages are higher than ours, and China’s are higher than ours. Show me a country with cheaper tickets than Uzbekistan,” Rakhmetov said.

It was also revealed that a new high-speed railway line is planned between Tashkent and Samarkand, which will later be extended to Bukhara.

“We have begun preparing the technical and economic justification for a separate high-speed line from Tashkent to Samarkand – with speeds of 300 km/h. Actually, we are finishing that phase now. Once it is completed, we will definitely build an independent, high-speed Tashkent–Samarkand line. It will not be easy for our state, but we will build it. After that line is completed, we will extend it from Samarkand to Bukhara,” Rakhmetov stated.