DUSHANBE, September 28, Asia-Plus — Uzbek state company Uzbekiston Temir Yullari (Uzbek Railways) is not yet ready to let Tajik trains run through its new branch Kumgurgan-Boysun-Tashguzar-Karshi that was introduced into operation in August, Asia-Plus has learned from Vladimir Sobkalov, the deputy head of Tajik Railways (Rohi Ohan).
According to him, they recently received reply from Uzbekiston Temir Yullari to their request for running through the new Uzbek branch line. “In their letter, the Uzbek Railways authorities noted that they are not yet ready to permit Tajik trains to run through the branch Kumgurgan-Boysun-Tashguzar-Karshi because of some difficulties,” Sobkalov said. However, Uzbek rail authorities have not specified what kind of difficulties prevent them from letting Tajik trains run through their new branch line, he added.
We will recall that Tajik Railways authorities conducted negotiations with their Uzbek colleagues in August this year over letting Tajik train run through its new branch Kumgurgan-Boysun-Tashguzar-Karshi that was introduced into operation the same month.
This 223-kilometer branch built by Uzbekistan to bypass Turkmenistan will allow decreasing travel time. The new branch line means that Tajik passengers will have not to pass through passport and customs control four times. If an agreement is reached, Tajik Railways’ rate quotations may decrease because it will not pay transit fees to Turkmenistan any more and the route will be much shorter.
It is to be noted that Uzbekistan decided to revive this railway project in 2003 already.
The January 29, 2003 CACI Analyst item titled “Uzbekistan to revive halted railway project to bypass Turkmenistan noted that Uzbekistan has decided to revive a railway project that would link several southern districts and bypass Turkmenistan. An Uzbek government decree issued in January 2003 ordered the construction of the Tashguzar-Boysun-Kumkurgan line be speeded up and finished in 2007.
The line links the three district centers with the country\”s main railway line connecting the capital Tashkent with other parts of the country. The new line allows trains heading from Tashkent for destinations in the southeast and on to Tajikistan to bypass Turkmenistan. Railway lines in Central Asia were laid before the region was cut into five Soviet republics in the 1920s, and traveling by train between different regions of the same country sometimes involves crossing through another country. The project to build the 223-kilometer line was launched in 1995 but was halted in several years for lack of funding.
