Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport, Ilkhom Makhkamov, has provided an update on the construction of the Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed railway.

He noted that work on the project’s feasibility study is nearing completion and is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. From January 2026, preparations for the tender process will commence.

Plans for a dedicated high-speed rail line were first announced in November 2023 by Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways, who pointed out that the current infrastructure is unable to cope with growing passenger and cargo volumes.

In September 2024, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev confirmed the project at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Samarkand, outlining not only the Tashkent–Samarkand line but also a future route from Samarkand to Navoi and Bukhara. The Turkish group Rönesans Holding has been cited as a potential partner.

In February 2025, the Ministry of Transport reached an agreement with a consortium of South Korean companies to develop the feasibility study, supported by a grant from the Export-Import Bank of Korea. The Export-Import Bank of China and the European Investment Bank have also expressed interest in financing the project.