Transport Ministry to finalize feasibility study for Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail by year-end

Mahkamov shared these updates on July 28 during a public dialogue with transport and logistics entrepreneurs organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“We are finalizing the feasibility study for the Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed railway. It will be fully completed by the end of the year. Starting from January 2026, we will begin preparing tender documents,” the minister said.

Plans to build a dedicated high-speed rail line between Tashkent and Samarkand were first revealed in November 2023 by Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chair of Uzbekistan Railways. He noted that the existing infrastructure is no longer sufficient to meet the growing demand for passenger and freight transportation.

In September 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the launch of high-speed railway corridors at a meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s Board of Governors in Samarkand. The planned routes include Tashkent–Samarkand and Samarkand–Navoi–Bukhara. Turkish conglomerate Rönesans Holding may be involved in the construction.

In February, the Ministry of Transport signed an agreement with a consortium of South Korean companies to begin development of the FS. The Korea Eximbank will fund the study through a grant.

The project, including its financing, has attracted interest from the Export-Import Bank of China and the European Investment Bank.