As technological development necessitated transportation development, Uzbekistan electrified 1700 kilometres of its railway network, putting into operation 500 kilometers in 2016 alone.
Following the 2010 Presidential Resolution “On Accelerating Infrastructure, Transport and Communication Construction Development in 2011-2015” Uzbekistan electrified and commissioned the Marakand-Karshi railway section in summer 2015. This led to the launch of an Afrosyob high-speed train on Tashkent-Samarkand-Karshi route.
Uzbekistan Railways continues step-by-step electrification of the 325-kilometer Karshi-Termez section. The works on the 90-kilometer Karshi-Dekhkanabad section began in September 2016 and were officially closed on New Year’s Eve.
The maintenance and electrification works are said to help both regional and socio-economic development. The Karshi-Termez section electrification will allow Uzbekistan Railways to replace diesel locomotives with modern electric trains, cutting transport costs by a third, increasing commuting time, and raising efficiency. The use of electric trains also helps battle climate change.
The electrification involved the use of local materials, which saved currency. For example, Uzbekistan Railways’ Energomontajniy Poezd No. 1 laid down 224 kilometers of contract network and built 2000 reinforced-concrete bearings and 1800 brackets. The work involved the latest equipment.
Railway specialists said according to the project the electrification of the Karshi-Termez section would be completed in 2017. (UzReport/Business World Magazine)