Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mar.10
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
State Joint-Stock Railway Company (SSRC) Uzbekistan Railways plans to acquire two electric trains produced by the Spanish company Patentes Talgo, S.L., the leadership of the carrier told Trend March10.
In late February, chairman of the SSRC Achilboy Ramatov held talks with President of Patentes Talgo Carlos Palacio Oriol, during which the parties discussed the acquisition of trains, according to the source.
Following the talks, a memorandum of cooperation between the companies was signed.
Purchase of trains is provided within the framework of the project for the organization of high-speed rail link between Tashkent and Bukhara with a total value of $400 million in 2016.
Currently, the company began to implement this project, which provides the electrification of the railway section Samarkand-Bukhara, which will make it possible to organize a high-speed rail link between Tashkent and Bukhara.
After completion of the project, two high-speed trains will run in the direction Tashkent-Bukhara. At the same time, the duration of the way will be reduced in half - to 3.5 hours from 7 - 8 hours and an additional comfort for travelers who plan to visit Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara will be created.
The Spanish Patentes Talgo S. A. and Uzbekistan Railways signed a contract on the purchase of two high-speed trains AVE 250 worth 38 million euros in November 2009.
Trains will be used on the Tashkent-Samarkand route, whose length is 356 kilometers. The maximum speed is 250 km per hour. The contract includes service of trains, as well as driver training in Spain.
The project was financed from its own funds (SSRC) "Uzbekistan Railways" in the amount of 19 million euros and the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan (FRDU) by the same amount. Credit FRDU was isolated "Uzbekistan Railways" for 10 years with a two-year grace period under the lending rate of two percent.
Infrastructure of the railway line was upgraded on Tashkent - Samarkand railway section. Some 600 kilometers of tracks have been reconstructed, some 68 kilometers of new railway track have been laid, 142-meter tunnel and four modern bridges with a total length of 400 meters have been built, contact network was upgraded, communication system and alarm system have been upgraded.
The cost of the project for the organization of high-speed operation of passenger trains on the Tashkent-Samarkand railway section amounted to more than $105 million.
The total length of railways is 4,100 kilometers in Uzbekistan. The railway accounts for 66 percent of cargo turnover within the country and nearly 80 percent of the total volume of export and import cargo shipment.
Edited by CN