Uzbekistan Studies Extending High-Speed Rail to Khiva

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan is considering extending the high-speed railway line between Tashkent and Samarkand to the historic city of Khiva, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Deputy Transport Minister Jasurbek Choriev said on May 5 that the proposal is under review on the sidelines of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank held in Samarkand.

Choriev noted that the design work for the approximately 300-kilometer Tashkent–Samarkand segment has already been completed.

He said travel time on this route is expected to be reduced to about 1 hour 40 minutes, compared to the current 2 hours 30 minutes. However, he added that further expansion of the line remains under discussion.

The deputy minister said extending the route to Khiva is being considered, stressing that the current transport system requires further development. In this case, travel time between Tashkent and Khiva could be reduced from around 7.5 hours to about 5 hours.

He also said trains produced by South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem may be used on the line, though other rolling stock options are also being considered. According to him, infrastructure remains the key component of the project.

In late April, a consortium of South Korean companies presented the final feasibility study for the Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail project.

Construction could begin this year. The Ministry of Transport plans to refine the document to improve its investment attractiveness before launching a tender.

Separately, a Hyundai Rotem high-speed train named “Jaloliddin Manguberdi” began operating between Tashkent and Khiva on May 5. The seven-car train can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h, with a travel time of 7.5 hours between the two cities.