Uzbekistan plans to renovate 1,000 km of railways and open 15 new intercity routes

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the current progress and future plans for the railway sector on 13 November.

According to the assessment, recent reforms in the sector are already showing tangible results. For the first time, the industry recorded a net profit last year – UZS 46.6 billion – while net profit for the first nine months of this year reached UZS 857.4 billion (USD 71.6 million). In comparison, losses in 2023 had amounted to UZS 2.23 trillion. Transit traffic, passenger transportation, export volumes and investment inflows are all increasing.

The president stressed that these achievements are only the beginning, underscoring the need to continue improving service quality and capacity in line with population growth and economic expansion, while further reducing costs.

New management systems based on artificial intelligence are expected to reduce service costs by up to 20 percent by optimizing operations at all stages – from transport accounting to traffic management and loss detection.

Under the 2026–2030 programme, the government aims to at least double passenger and freight transportation volumes. Planned infrastructure development includes building 151 km of new railway, electrifying 182 km of tracks, modernizing 27 stations and renovating 1,000 km of lines.

New electrified lines

The following new electrified routes are planned:

• Nurafshon – Piskent – Boka – Bekobod – Boyovut – Yangiyer (112 km, covering five districts of Tashkent region)

• Khavos – Dashtobod

Sections to be electrified

• Kumkurgan – Quduqli

• Samarkand – Urgut

• Baytkorgan – Parkent

Increased capacity

Capacity improvements have been ordered on the following routes:

• Tashkent – Samarkand

• Toqimachi – Angren

• Angren – Pop

Fifteen new intercity routes proposed

To expand suburban and intercity services, authorities proposed opening 15 additional routes to complement the existing 40. These include:

• Tashkent – Nurafshon – Ohangaron – Angren

• Navoi – Zarafshon – Uchkuduk

• Kogon – Namangan – Andijan – Margilan

• Termez – Kumkurgan – Boysun – Darband

• Nukus – Shovot – Urgench – Khiva

• Jizzakh – Dustlik – Aydar–Arnasay Lake

• Karshi – Shahrisabz

The expansion of the high-speed rail network was also discussed. President Mirziyoyev instructed officials to accelerate the launch of the 102-km Navoi – Bukhara line, which is expected to significantly reduce transportation time and costs for both passengers and cargo.