China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway begins construction in July 2025 after 20-year delay

Under discussion for 20 years, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) Railway is finally under construction, with some hurdles surpassed and other challenges ahead.

Strategic Significance

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has described the CKU Railway project as "not just a transport corridor, but an important strategic bridge connecting the countries of the East and West." In 2024, then-Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov referred to it as "a road of life."

Project Background

The CKU Railway project connects Kashgar in China's Xinjiang to Andijan in Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan. It has been under discussion for more than 20 years, with progress sluggish due to a range of complicating factors.

While the economic, infrastructure, and political benefits are clear for all three states, challenges have arisen related to:

• Sinophobic sentiments among some opposition groups
• Risks of a debt trap
• Disagreements over track gauge size
• Security and environmental concerns
• Hesitation over increasing dependence on other regional powers

Milestones

Despite these challenges—some of which remain unresolved—the project took a concrete step forward with the signing of a final construction agreement in Beijing on June 6, 2024. Since July 2025, the CKU has been under active construction.

Route and Specifications

The final plan charts a 530 km pathway, with approximately 304 km passing through Kyrgyzstan's Tien Shan mountains. The route will connect Kashgar to Andijan, passing through:

• Torugart (Kyrgyzstan)
• Makmal (Kyrgyzstan)
• Jalal-Abad (Kyrgyzstan)

Infrastructure Features

The project features:

• 50 bridges
• 29 tunnels
• Total tunnel length: 104.83 km
• Excavation ongoing in all tunnels, including eight tunnels longer than 5 km
• Three major tunnels—Naryn No. 1, Kosh-Dobo, and Fergana—each over 12 km long

Kyrgyzstan's mountainous terrain and the region's seismic risks pose significant engineering and construction challenges.

Construction Progress

Earthworks have started on some sections, with roadbed formation underway. Supporting infrastructure includes:

• 192.323 km of temporary roads built along the railway's path
• 4 transformer substations installed
• 2,095 utility poles constructed
• 259 km of power lines strung

Workforce

Approximately 2,000 Kyrgyz citizens are involved in the ongoing construction, out of a total of 5,000 workers. By the end of 2026, officials aim to have 5 percent of the CKU built.

Financing and Ownership

A joint project company (JPC) was established in Kyrgyzstan under local law, with ownership distributed as follows:

| Party | Stake | |-------|-------| | China | 51% | | Kyrgyzstan | 24.5% | | Uzbekistan | 24.5% |

The project is valued at $4.7 billion for the Kyrgyz section:

• China lending $2.35 billion (half the total)
• Remaining 50% to be invested by the other countries
• Kyrgyzstan contributing approximately $700 million
• Kyrgyzstan financing half of its share (12.25%) from the state budget
• China providing the remaining portion as a $305 million loan for a 25-year term

Freight Volume Projections

Based on conservative estimates from the feasibility study:

• Initial freight volume: 5–8 million tonnes annually
• Long-term increase: 13–15 million tonnes annually

In November 2025, Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, head of Uzbekistan's state railway company Temir Yullari, stated that construction of the CKU could be completed two years early, with the previously planned completion set for 2030.

Track Gauge Resolution

Among the challenges the three states have overcome via compromise is the issue of gauge. The settlement includes:

• 1,435 mm gauge (narrow by Chinese standards) from Torugart to Makmal
• Near Makmal, the track widens at a transshipment station, marking the start of the 1,520 mm gauge section
• Length of Makmal–Jalal-Abad section: 145 km
• Length of Torugart–Makmal section: 160 km
• A wheelset exchange facility will be set up in Kyrgyzstan at Makmal station
• A narrow-gauge line connects to this station from China; a broad-gauge line extends toward Uzbekistan

The transshipment station will perform functions including:

• Breaking up and assembling freight and transfer trains
• Loading, unloading, transshipping, and sorting containers and cargo
• Weighing railcars and cargo
• Transferring railcars between 1,520 mm and 1,435 mm gauges

Remaining Challenges

Other issues persist and will require dedicated and detailed diplomacy to manage.

Environmental Concerns

Environmental concerns pose a major challenge, as large infrastructure projects often entail ecological risks, especially when tunnel drilling and explosives are involved. The railway's impact could be substantial due to Kyrgyzstan's delicate mountain ecosystems and high seismic activity. Possible outcomes include:

• Deforestation
• Glacial melt
• Water contamination
• Ecosystem damage
• Worsening living conditions in the area

Recently, contractors for the CKU railway were...