Kazakhstan is building a new railway towards Uzbekistan, which will lead to a third rail crossing between the two countries. The infrastructure will stretch for about 152 kilometres in southern Kazakhstan, between Darbaza and the Maktaaral District. According to Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ), rail freight traffic will be partly diverted from the Saryagash-Tashkent border crossing to the new line.

The project is divided into two phases, as KTZ underlined on Telegram. During the first stage, the section between Darbaza, Maktaaral District, and the Uzbek border will be built. The second phase entails the construction of the Zhetysay branch, a variant passing a little west of the Maktaaral District. Both sections will lead to the Syrdarya station in Uzbekistan, near which the new rail border crossing with Kazakhstan will be implemented. Other than aiming at increasing trade with Uzbekistan, the new infrastructure will provide the Turkestan region with a connection to the country’s main railway network.

Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan rail freight volumes keep increasing

This initiative might be a direct consequence of the increasing freight volumes between the two countries. As KTZ mentioned last week, these figures have increased by 21 per cent in the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. More specifically, Kazakh exports to Uzbekistan increased by 37 per cent. Currently, there are two rail border crossings between them. The one mentioned above, between Saryagash and Tashkent, and the Byeneu-Karakalpakstan, which gives Uzbekistan access to the Caspian Sea. It is not yet clear when the third rail border crossing will be operative or where it will be specifically placed.

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