Railway project site. Photo: gov.kg.
A consortium of Chinese banks will provide about $2.3 billion for the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway in the form of a 35-year loan. The relevant agreement was signed in Bishkek on December 16, according to the press service of the Kyrgyz government.
The document was signed by representatives of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway Company (a joint project company established by the three participating countries) and a consortium of Chinese banks that includes the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. The signing ceremony was attended by Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobayev.
According to the Kyrgyz government, the total cost of the project is estimated at $4.7 billion. Repayment obligations for the $2.3 billion loan will rest directly with the joint project company. The remaining $2.3 billion will be formed through contributions by the three states to the company’s authorized capital. China will provide 51 percent of this funding, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will each contribute 24.5 percent.
The press service noted that the construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway will include 50 bridges and 29 tunnels with a combined length of 120 kilometers. This means that about 40 percent of the entire route will run through tunnels and over bridges. Within Kyrgyzstan, the total length of the railway will be 304 kilometers.
In April 2024, the cost of building the railway was estimated at $8 billion. The total length of the line is expected to be about 454 kilometers, with 280 kilometers running through Kyrgyz territory. The project envisions the construction of 18 stations, 81 large and medium-sized bridges, and 41 tunnels along the entire route.
ℹ️ The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway will follow the route Kashgar–Torugart–Makmal–Jalal-Abad–Andijan. The line is expected to shorten the distance from China to the Middle East by about 900 kilometers, reduce transport costs, and cut delivery times by roughly seven to eight days. The project is also expected to support the development of transport infrastructure in Central Asia and provide the region with more convenient access to ports on the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean. The governments of China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on jointly advancing the project on June 6, 2024. Implementation of the project began on December 27 of the same year.
