Uzbekistan, Tashkent, May 23 / Trend D.Azizov /
The State Joint Stock Railway Company (SSRC) Uzbekistan Railways intends to complete the electrification of railway sections of the Marokand-Karshi and Karshi-Termez routes towards Afghanistan a year ahead compared with the previously scheduled dates (2014), the SSRC representative told Trend.
As reported, the Uzbekistan Railways SSRC started electrification of the Marokand-Karshi railway in the country's south at a cost of $234.7 million in early 2012.
The project envisages electrification of the 140.8km long Marokand-Karshi railway section as well as reconstruction of the locomotive depot at Karshi (administrative centre of the Kashkadarya region) for the operation of the new Tashguzar-Bojsun-Kumkurgan railway line. Initially, the project was scheduled to be completed in four years by 2016.
The project is self-financed by Uzbekistan Railways SJSRC ($110.9 million), a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth $100 million and the Uzbek government funds in the form of customs and tax benefits ($23.8 million) .
As reported earlier, Uzbekistan Railways SSRC will undertake electrification of three sections of the railway, Marokand-Karshi , Karshi-Termez and Marokand - Tashkent - Bukhara, with total length of 715 kilometres by 2016.
Funding for the projects worth $961.5 million will be made by foreign loans and through equity of Uzbekistan Railways.
It is expected that following the implementation of these projects, the share of electrified sections in the total length of the railway in Uzbekistan will increase from 36 to 42 per cent in 2016.
According to the company's experts, implementation of these projects will increase passenger and cargo traffic by at least 20 per cent to the south of the country where a number of large investment projects is currently underway.
Electrification of these sections will also increase the transit of cargo through the territory of Uzbekistan to neighbouring Afghanistan, in particular in the framework of a partnership with NATO.
There is a total of 4200 kilometres of railways in Uzbekistan of which about 1000 kilometres is electrified, including more than 700 kilometres within last seven years. In total, the country plans to electrify about 2000 kilometres of railway.
The Uzbek railroad handles about 60 per cent of the turnover in the country and 80 per cent of the total export and import cargo.