Uzbekistan begins building rail link to Fergana Valley
TASHKENT. July 23 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan has begun construction of the Angren-Pop rail line linking the Fergana Valley with other areas of the country, according to materials prepared jointly by the Economy Ministry and the State Statistics Committee concerning socioeconomic development results in the first half of 2013 published in the local media.
The 129-kilometer Angren-Pop line will cross the Kamchik Pass and provide three regions - Andijan, Namangan, and Fergana - with a rail link to the rest of the country.
The $1.9-billion project, which will see construction of two tunnels, is slated for completion in 2016. It will be financed with state budget funds, Uzbek Railways internal funds and loans from international financial institutions. The project feasibility study is scheduled for completion by the end of 2013.
The Kamchik Pass over the Kuraminsky Range lies at an altitude of 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) and is the route of the Tashkent-Osh highway (A-373), the lone road link between Tashkent region and the Pop district of Namangan region and a strategic transportation route for the country. The danger of avalanches periodically forces closure of the highway in winter.
The new rail line will skirt Tajikistan's northern border. Uzbekistan, which declines to ship freight on an existing rail line through Tajikistan, has relied on the A-373 highway instead since January 2010.
Uzbekistan has 4,100 kilometers of rail line, which account for 66% of domestic freight shipments and almost 80% of export and import shipments.
