DB subsidiary to help with electrification of Bukhara-Urgench-Khiva railway

DB Engineering and Consulting will take part in the electrification of the railway line from Bukhara to Khiva, Spot reports referring to the Railway News portal.

Deutsche Bahn, a subsidiary of the German railway operator, signed a contract with Uzbekistan Railways in July. The document signing ceremony took place at the 6th meeting of the German-Uzbek Economic Council.

As part of the agreement, DB E&C will control the process of electrification of 452 km of the railway along the Bukhara-Urgench-Khiva route. Work is scheduled to start in the fall.

The implementation of the project will allow launching Afrosiyob high-speed trains on the line. With its launch, the travel time between Tashkent and Urgench will be reduced by 11 hours, the report reads.

Electrification of the highway will be carried out with the involvement of international funds. Thus, ADB allocated $162 million for the project, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank provided another $108 million.

DB E&C and Uzbekistan Railways have been cooperating since 2019. As part of a strategic partnership, the German side is working on the reorganization of the railway industry in Uzbekistan, and has also participated in several projects, for example, construction of the Tashkent metro.