Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Construction of the Darbaza-Maktaaral railway line with a length of 152 km began in Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. The large infrastructure project will add another corridor for transporting goods between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and will optimize transport flows, since it will bypass Tashkent, reports the Economist publication of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

As reported by the government of Kazakhstan, the construction of a new railway line will allow redirecting cargo from the existing Saryagash-Tashkent section to a new line, unloading the Saryagash station and increasing export traffic in the direction of Uzbekistan as a whole. In addition, the project will contribute to the development of the Turkestan region by connecting it to the main railway network of the republic.

The project is divided into two stages. The first involves the construction of the line Erdaut - Maktaaral - the state border of Uzbekistan with access to the Syrdarya station. The second stage involves the commissioning of the Zhetysai branch - the state border of Uzbekistan with access to the same station. A total of 152 km of railway track will be built.

The construction of a new railway line will create 3,400 jobs. The share of Kazakhstani content in the project will be 85%. They want to complete the road in 2025.

“Nine stations will be built. The railway will provide direct access for goods from the [main territory] of Kazakhstan to these areas (Maktaaral and Zhetysay districts of the Turkestan region of the Republic of Kazakhstan - editor’s note) and from these areas to Kazakhstan. Because now they are forced to cross the border with Uzbekistan. This affects the development of regions. After construction, they will receive a new serious impetus,” said Kanat Almagambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan Railways.

The new railway will also significantly increase the transit potential of the two states, according to KTZ.

“Cargo that goes to Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will pass through this line faster. Another effect: tension on the Saryagash-Tashkent section will ease. In recent years there has been a lot of cargo there. However, not all of them are transferred on time, because this junction is not designed for such cargo flow. It has increased sharply in the last two to three years. Construction will help relieve congestion on this main section and allow passenger trains to move,” Almagambetov noted.

KTZ predicts that cargo traffic in this area will additionally increase by 10-14 million tons. In the future, an increase to 20-25 million tons is possible - in connection with the proposed construction of a railway through Pakistan to India, access to which from Kazakhstan will be possible, including through the Darbaza-Maktaaral line under construction.