New high-speed railway to be built between Tashkent and Bukhara

"We have adopted an extensive program to implement public-private partnership projects worth $30 billion by 2030. In particular, the projects include the construction of toll roads on the Tashkent–Samarkand and Tashkent–Andijan routes, as well as a new high-speed railway for trains on the Tashkent–Samarkand and Samarkand–Navoi–Bukhara routes," said the president.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev further added that the modernization of six more international airports in the republic will be transferred to public-private partnerships.

"Additionally, within the next five years, the management of electricity, water, and gas distribution networks will be handed over to private operators. For example, more than 50 prominent foreign companies have shown interest in the tender for the management of the Samarkand region's electricity networks," the president stated.

It was reported that currently, 15 projects worth $3 billion in infrastructure, energy, transportation, water supply, and sustainable development are being implemented in cooperation with the AIIB.

"These days, we have reached an agreement with the bank to implement another program worth $4 billion over the next three years," Shavkat Mirziyoyev added.

Plans to build a separate new high-speed railway between Tashkent and Samarkand were mentioned last year by the first deputy chairman of "Uzbekistan Railways," Hikmatulla Rakhmetov.

"Currently, we have only one main line – in some sections there are two – but primarily one, and today we are using this line for high-speed, regular passenger, and freight transport. As a result, the infrastructure is insufficient," Rakhmetov said at a forum in Samarkand.

The Uzbekistan Railways official also noted that the construction of the new Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed railway is being discussed with the World Bank, other international financial institutions, and interested investors, with plans to extend the line beyond Samarkand in future phases.

The construction of the Tashkent–Samarkand toll road is scheduled to begin this year. According to a presidential decree issued in August, a tender to select the best construction company will be announced in September. The results of the tender are expected to be announced by the end of the year, with a contract to be signed with the contractor and construction work to commence.

The construction of Uzbekistan’s first toll road is expected to be completed by the end of 2028. After completion, the road will be handed over to a private operator under a public-private partnership. The project is estimated to cost approximately $2.2 billion.

The concept for the Tashkent–Andijan toll road, valued at $4.28 billion, is expected to be approved in October of this year. A two-stage tender is planned for 2025, with the signing of a contract with a private partner scheduled for 2026. Additionally, the document outlines plans for the construction of the Samarkand–Bukhara toll road and a toll tunnel in the Takhtakoracha Pass between 2027 and 2030.