The state joint-stock company "Uzbekiston temir yullari" (Uzbek
Railways) will launch the high-speed Tashkent-Samarkand railway in
August this year, director of the company Akramzhon Abdullayev said at
an Uzbek-US business forum, Trend reports.
He said that two high-speed trains AVE 250, purchased in Spain's
Parentes Talgo S., will arrive in the republic in July.
The director said that his company had invested $100 million in
modernization of Tashkent-Samarkand railway infrastructure to improve
passenger transport. The railway, stations and contact networks were
modernized.
Uzbek Railways signed the contract with Parentes Talgo S. in 2009.
Uzbekistan purchased 2 AVE 250 trains worth a total of 38 million
euro. The trains will run at 250 km per hour.
The Registan high-speed train is currently operating on the
Tashkent-Samarkand route since 2004. The 356 km distance takes 3.5
hours. The Spanish trains will reduce the time by a third.
Another route will connect the railway with Bukhara and Khiva.
Uzbekistan plans to spend a total of $1.734 billion on development and
modernization of the railways, including $1.019 billion updating the
trains.
Uzbek Railways was founded in 1994 after leaving the Central Asian
Railway Company. The company has a charter capital of 197.6 billion
sums and is formed by state assets from 7 structures of the company.
Uzbekistan has 4,100 km of railways. The railways are used to
transport 66% of cargo and almost 80% of exported and imported
freighting.
