Uzbekistan has been the focal point of recently launched international railway services. The landlocked country is now the destination of two new rail-bound logistical services, linking it to India and China. Both services could be considered the predecessors of an expected traffic increase between the players involved.
The China-Uzbekistan rail freight service uses the ‘easy access route’ through Kazakhstan since the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route is still far from complete and adequately competitive in its current form. Kazakhstan and China worked on this new service jointly, with KTZ’s terminal in Xi’an as the starting point. After entering Kazakh soil through the Khorgos border crossing, the train continues to the border with Uzbekistan (Saryagash) before reaching the final destination in Tashkent.
On the other hand, the service from India used an equally familiar route, which could be defined as the eastern route of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The new container train service departs from the Indian-operated Bandar Abbas port in southern Iran, and after crossing the country’s territory, it reaches Sarakhs on the border with Turkmenistan. From there, Turkmen operators take over cargo transport to the Chukursai freight station in Tashkent, which Russian FESCO operates.
Things are moving in Asia
These two new services are significant considering the broader context in which they have been launched. The India-Uzbekistan container service is the result of multiple tests and hurdles overcome within the INSTC during the past two-and-a-half years. Apparently, as the service’s Turkmen organisers underlined, this Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan link will not only be reduced to cargo coming from India since it is also open to other ‘third countries’, hinting at Russia.
On the other hand, China’s determination to include Uzbekistan in its rail-oriented supply chains is apparent with the recently launched railway service via Kazakhstan. China is investing in the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan line anyway. However, utilising the good synergies with KTZ until this line is available and operational indicates that Uzbekistan has a role to play in the future also in anticipation of the upcoming Trans-Afghan railway.
