BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 16. Plans are underway in Kyrgyzstan to construct 15 to 20 kilometers of Balykchy - Kochkor railway in 2024, Trend reports.
Kyrgyz Railways, which implements the project, is preparing the bottom railway construction in the Orto-Tokoy reservoir. Geogrids and large-diameter pipes are also being installed. Construction involves over 30 specialized pieces of equipment and roughly 60 staff.
On March 31, 2022, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov launched the construction works for the Balykchy-Kochkor railway. The construction of this railway segment is just the first stage of implementing the larger project Balykchy — Kochkor — Kara-Keche with a length of 186 kilometers.
The Balykchy-Kochkor-Kara-Kechu railway is intended to connect the city of Balykchy, the village of Kochkor, and the Kara-Kechu coal deposit through the territories of Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions of Kyrgyzstan.
Furthermore, it aims to link up with the planned China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan railway, thus creating a unified railway network within the country.
To note, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a planned 454-kilometer rail line, is intended to connect China's and Uzbekistan's railways through Kyrgyzstan's territory and further link up with the European railway network through Turkmenistan, Iran, and Türkiye.