TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, March 26. The French Alstom company would consider the opportunities to participate in an on-ground metro project that will be built in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent when the population of this region exceeds one million, a source from the company told Trend.
"The Uzbekistan government shared the plans for the construction of New Tashkent, which will be connected to the existing parts of the capital. The plan includes the development of public transport, including metro and tram lines. In this regard, Alstom is collaborating with the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan to offer the best solutions," the source said.
According to the source, currently, Alstom collaborates with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport and the Directorate of the New Tashkent Project on the development of the tram project. Uzbekistan and France have signed the intergovernmental Road Map document for the development of a light-rail transit system for Tashkent city. The grant in the FASEP program has already been allocated to finance the development of a feasibility study for this project. A French EGIS engineering company has been selected to conduct this feasibility study and has already started the work on the root selection and collection of other primary data.
"As a leading global provider of railway transport solutions, we stand ready to bring our expertise and experience to Uzbekistan and contribute towards the development of transport infrastructure, create employment opportunities, and foster sustainable growth in the region. We are keen to collaborate with key stakeholders in Uzbekistan's transport sector, and we believe that our contributions can help realize the country's ambitious transport goals," the source noted.
Earlier in 2022, the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan and France’s Ministry of Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad signed an agreement on the Tashkent tram system project. According to the document, in the first stage, Alstom will build 9.1 km of tram lines in the city. These lines are expected to transport 78.000 people per day.
The cost of the project is estimated at 167.4 million euros. It is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2024.