South Korean consortium finalizes feasibility study for Tashkent–Samarkand rail project

The feasibility study for a project to build a high-speed passenger railway on the Tashkent–Samarkand route has been completed and presented.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the study was developed by a consortium of four South Korean companies using a $3 million grant provided by the Export–Import Bank of Korea. The consortium includes Saman Engineering, Dong Myeong Engineering Consultants & Architecture Co., Ltd, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Korea National Railway. Detailed parameters of the project have not yet been disclosed.

The completed feasibility study was presented on December 16. The presentation was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Transport, the management of Uzbekistan Railways, representatives of relevant ministries and agencies, the Export–Import Bank of Korea, international financial institutions, and members of the South Korean consortium.

According to the ministry, the new railway is expected to make it possible to increase the number of high-speed passenger train services between Tashkent and Samarkand.

It was recalled that the Export–Import Bank of Korea allocated a $3 million grant to finance the preparation of the feasibility study for the new Tashkent–Samarkand railway. Work on the study began in February this year.

Currently, the existing railway line between the two major cities is used by high-speed and fast passenger trains as well as freight trains, which is cited as a key constraint on increasing the number of services.

Under Uzbekistan’s Strategy–2030, the country plans to build new high-speed railways on the Tashkent–Samarkand and Samarkand–Navoi–Bukhara routes and to increase passenger traffic on high-speed trains by 2.5 times compared to 2023 levels.

Last week, the first batch of Hyundai Rotem trains, named Jaloliddin Manguberdi and set to operate on the Tashkent–Urgench–Khiva route, was shipped from South Korea to Uzbekistan.