Uzbekistan: Railway Efficiency Improvement Project

Transport / Transport policies and institutional development

Surrounded by Afghanistan to the south, Kazakhstan to the north and northwest, the Kyrgyz Republic to the northeast, Turkmenistan to the southwest, and Tajikistan to the southeast, Uzbekistan serves three of six Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors. With 31 million people, Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia. Being a double landlocked country requiring crossing at least two countries to reach seaports, transport plays an important role in sustaining its socioeconomic development.

Rail transport has a unique competitive advantage over road transport for moving commodities and goods in bulk over long distances. The 4,669 km Uzbekistan rail network carries about 60 million tons of freight and 15 million passengers annually. Since 2004, Uzbekistan's gross domestic product has grown by more than 7% per year. This has contributed to strong demand for rail transport. Improvements in relationships between Uzbekistan and its immediate neighbors will further add to such demand.

Uzbekistan has continued to modernize its railway infrastructure. Since its founding in 1994, O'zbekiston Temir Yo'llari (UTY), the vertically integrated public railway company, has gradually implemented a holistic railway modernization program, including the completion of a unified rail network, electrification and modernization of existing lines, and improvement of rolling stock. The government accorded particular importance to electrification, with 2,446 km or 52% of the network now electrified.

Despite these efforts, the railways still face long transport times, inadequate service quality, and high operating costs, because of aged or inadequate infrastructure, operational inefficiencies, competition from road transport, and an insufficient number of locomotives. This results in lost economic opportunities, suboptimal regional trade, and negative environmental impacts.