Uzbekistan Railway Project to be Completed Ahead of Schedule
The CAREC Corridor 6 (Marakand-Karshi) Railway Electrification Project is likely to be completed ahead of schedule, according to a midterm review conducted by Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 13 – 17 April 2015.
The ADB review reported no major impediments and project implementation delays.
Funded by a $100 million ADB loan, the project was approved in September 2011 and scheduled to be completed in 2016. To date, 76% of the overall project has been implemented over 71% of the elapsed loan period. The Uzbekistan Temir Yullari State Joint-Stock Railway Company is implementing the project.
The project aims to electrify a 140-kilometer single track railway between Marakand and Karshi, covering nine stations, and develop maintenance facilities for electric locomotives by refitting the Karshi depot.
CAREC Corridor 6 runs north-south linking Europe, through Central Asia, to the Middle East and South Asia.
In Uzbekistan, it follows by rail from Keles on the border with Kazakhstan, to Tashkent, Samarkand, Karshi, and Kumkurgan before reaching Termez on the border with Afghanistan.
The railway line between Keles and Marakand is already electrified while the line between Karshi and Termez is being electrified with cofinancing from the Uzbekistan Temir Yullari State Joint-Stock Railway Company and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The Government of Uzbekistan requested ADB assistance to electrify the remaining line from Marakand to Karshi.
The CAREC Corridor 6 (Marakand-Karshi) Railway Electrification Project is expected to revitalize the country’s railway system and boost domestic and regional trade, promote regional connectivity, cut transport costs, and contribute to low carbon transportation.
It is aligned with the Uzbekistan Transport Sector Strategy 2006-2020 and supports the refined CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy.
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