Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 6
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
Uzbekistan Railways State Joint-Stock Company will commission the Angren (Tashkent region) - Pap (Namangan region) railroad in April 2016, which will connect the Fergana Valley with other regions of the country, the company told Trend Dec. 4.
The source said that the railway will be commissioned three months ahead of schedule.
"We expect that the first train will be commissioned via a new railway line on April 15," the company said.
The length of the branch is 123.1 km, including 19.1 km being a tunnel.
Uzbekistan started construction of the Angren-Pap new electrified railway in July 2013.
The construction and electrification of the two sections of the railway with a total length of 104 kilometers were completed on both sides of the tunnel in September.
The project worth $1.8 billion is financed through the state budget, Uzbek railway company's own funds and loans of the international financial institutes.
Uzbekistan Railways State Joint-Stock Railway Company and China Railway Tunnel Group Co. Ltd signed a contract in 2013 to lay a tunnel. The project cost was $455 million. The Export-Import Bank of China allocated $350 million worth loan for the construction of the tunnel in 2014.
Kamchik pass is located on the crest of the Kurama Range at the altitude of 1,200 meters above the sea level. The sole road between the Tashkent province and the Pap district of Namangan province runs through this pass. This road, which is of strategic importance for the country, is periodically blocked in winter due to the avalanche threat.
The total length of the railways in Uzbekistan is 4,100 kilometers. The railway accounts for 60 percent of cargo and over 75 percent of passenger transportation.