Tajikistan applied to join the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project

On July 2, during the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Transport Ministers held in Tianjin, the Minister of Transport of Tajikistan Azim Azim Ibrahim has made a formal request to join the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway construction project.

This strategic move may completely change the transportation map of Central Asia and inject new momentum into the construction of the "Belt and Road".

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project has attracted much attention since the beginning of its planning. With a planned total length of 523 km (213 km in China, 260 km in Kyrgyzstan, and 50 km in Uzbekistan), construction began on December 27, 2024 in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. Once this railway is completed, it will fill the historical gap of no direct railway between China and Kyrgyzstan and China and Ukraine.

Despite the prospects, the project faced multiple challenges:

- Technical challenges: Overcoming the complex terrain of the Pamirs

- Financing pressure: Total investment is expected to exceed $8 billion

- Harmonization of standards: Harmonization of technical standards such as railway gauge in various countries

"We are conducting in-depth consultations on technical standards, financing plans and other details," said an official from China's Ministry of Transport, "and if it goes well, this strategic corridor is expected to be fully completed by 2030." "

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