Tashkent, Uzbekistan – AN Podrobno.uz. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the region and will reduce cargo delivery times between Asia and Europe by nearly one-third. This was stated by Alexei Skatin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), on the sidelines of the bank's Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Almaty, in response to a question from a Podrobno.uz correspondent about how the launch of the railway could affect Uzbekistan's economy and trade volumes.

According to Skatin, the EDB analyzes major infrastructure projects through its own transport observatory, which contains data on approximately 400 initiatives.

Speaking about the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, Skatin noted that its main goal is to reduce cargo delivery times between Asia and Europe. “The point of this railway is to cut delivery times from Asia to Europe and vice versa by almost a third. For Uzbekistan, this is a direct effect in terms of trade,” he said.

However, the bank representative emphasized that it is too early to talk about specific indicators of trade growth. “It may be too early to talk about figures in terms of turnover. But there is a logistics rule: if delivery times are reduced by one day, trade increases by at least 10%,” Skatin noted.

He also called the new railway one of the most significant logistics and infrastructure projects for Uzbekistan.

According to the EDB deputy chairman, the bank is interested in linking the railway with other international transport routes, including the North-South corridor and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. “No single railway will be beneficial if it is not connected to other transport routes,” Skatin emphasized.

It is worth recalling that the official start of construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway was given on December 27, 2024, by the presidents of the three countries.

Source: podrobno.uz