Recently, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Bakit Torobayev, announced the start of the comprehensive construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan International Railway. The long-awaited transport project was officially launched on December 27, 2024, following a speech by the heads of state of Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan, and is now in the actual construction stage.
The railway line will cross 304 kilometers of Kyrgyz territory, with a total project value of $4.7 billion, including 29 tunnels (three of which are 12 kilometers, 13 kilometers and 14 kilometers long, respectively, and will be one of the longest tunnels in the region) and 41 viaducts. The railway is expected to be completed by 2030. A key element of the
railway's construction is the use of Kyrgyz cement, which will facilitate the participation of local industry in one of the country's largest transport infrastructure projects. Torobayev stressed that all the obligations of the Kyrgyz side under the investment agreement have been clearly defined. "We are issuing instructions to state agencies on an ongoing basis,"
he said. If land needs to be cleared, it must be addressed. If wires need to be installed, they must be connected. Forest areas must also be properly prepared. There must be no obstacles to construction.
Once the railway is operational, it is expected to significantly enhance trade and logistics links between Central and East Asia, providing new transit corridors for China and the wider region through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.