Uzbekistan to Purchase 38 Locomotives: $181 Million Comprehensive Modernization

Following a recent meeting led by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a decision was made to expand the country’s railway fleet, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

According to the presidential administration, an agreement has been reached with Chinese partners to supply 38 new locomotives and modernize 12 electric locomotives. A budget of $181 million has been allocated for these purposes.

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The locomotives will be supplied by the Chinese company CRRC, with which Uzbekistan has been cooperating for over two decades.

In 2020, the national carrier received two-section freight electric locomotives from CRRC with a power capacity of 14,400 kW.

Chinese equipment has proven its reliability and demand in the country.

According to the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD), 182 diesel locomotives and 103 electric locomotives were operated daily in Uzbekistan throughout 2022.

This indicates the significant volume of work carried out by Uzbekistan’s railways.

The meeting also noted that “Uzbekistan Railways” has been supplemented with 1,040 new freight cars and 45 passenger cars.

Special attention was given to the passenger rolling stock.

In the near future, six high-speed trains will be purchased from the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem. These trains will be an important part of the passenger transport modernization program.

However, the official statement following the meeting did not mention the development of the previously announced project to establish local production of electric trains in Uzbekistan, which was declared in March of this year.

Despite the lack of information on this issue, the purchase of new rolling stock and the modernization of existing locomotives indicate the continuation of the country’s course towards developing and strengthening its transport infrastructure.

Photo: CRRC

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