Uzbekistan plans toll road and high-speed rail link between Samarkand and Bukhara
Uzbekistan plans to build a toll road with a cement-concrete surface between Samarkand and Bukhara. The plans also include a separate railway line for high-speed trains on the same route. The projects were announced on November 4 at a meeting that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held during his visit to Bukhara region. The meeting focused on the region's social and economic development.
The new road is expected to cut travel time between the two cities from the current five hours to about an hour and a half. The president told officials to finish the master plans for the road and rail projects and to start talks with partners.
At the meeting, officials presented new initiatives for Bukhara region worth a total of $30 billion. They cover infrastructure, industry, energy, tourism, transport, education and healthcare.
Other transport projects were also discussed. Reconstruction of the A-380 highway, which runs through Bukhara, will be completed this year. Next year, work will begin to upgrade a 69-kilometre section of the M-37 road within the region. This $200 million project also includes a 4.5-kilometre ring road around the city of Bukhara.
The Samarkand–Bukhara toll road has been discussed before. On January 15, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov met a representative of Turkey's IC İçtaş İnşaat. They discussed building a new toll road through Samarkand, Navoi and Bukhara regions as a public-private partnership. According to reports, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Roads Committee.
No construction timeline or cost was given at the meeting for the new road or the railway line. The next steps are preparing the master plans and negotiating with investors.
Sources
- Buxoro viloyatini rivojlantirish boʻyicha yangi tashabbuslar va ustuvor vazifalar muhokama qilindi (Yangi Oʻzbekiston) — yuz.uz, official source
- Обсуждены новые инициативы и приоритетные задачи по развитию Бухарской области (Yangi Oʻzbekiston) — yuz.uz, official source
- Samarqand va Buxoro o‘rtasida pulli avtomobil yo‘li quriladi (Gazeta.uz) — gazeta.uz
- Buxoro iqtisodiyoti 100 trln so‘mdan oshishi reja qilinmoqda (Anhor.uz) — anhor.uz
- Samarqand—Buxoro pulli avtomobil yo'li qurilishi kutilmoqda (Daryo.uz) — daryo.uz
- Turkiya kompaniyasi Samarqand — Buxoro pulli avtomobil yo‘li qurilishida ishtirok etmoqchi (Gazeta.uz) — gazeta.uz
First reported by: Xushnudbek.uz (Telegram post)
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