In the early morning, the Tianshan Valley was still soaked in cold air. Driver Abudikolelov filled the crane truck with fuel and drove along the construction road to the unloading point. A year ago, he was still working on a construction site abroad. Upon seeing the news of the railway starting construction, he immediately returned to China to apply for a job. Now, he shuttles through the valley where the Keqialte River Bridge is located every day. He said that this is one of the most meaningful projects since Kyrgyzstan's independence, and he wants to personally participate in it.

This railway departs from Kashgar, Xinjiang, enters Kyrgyzstan through the Turgat Pass, and travels westward through Jalalabad to reach Andijan, Uzbekistan. The concept began in 1997, and an intergovernmental agreement was signed among the three countries in June 2024. It was launched in December of the same year and the construction of the domestic section in Kyrgyzstan began in June 2025.

Eleven work sites are advancing together

Ulan Kulov, Deputy General Manager of China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway Co., Ltd., stated in Bishkek on October 29th that the Kyrgyzstan section plans to complete 22% of the total project volume by the end of 2026 and is expected to exceed the annual target by about 10 percentage points.

At present, construction is being carried out simultaneously at 11 construction sites, involving 11 subcontractors. Kulov introduced that tunnel excavation has been completed by 21.5%, bridge pile foundation by 95%, and earthwork by 67%. This section plans to construct 29 tunnels with a total length of 104 kilometers and 50 bridges with a total length of approximately 25 kilometers. The first tunnel, Kosztebe North Tunnel 2, is 209 meters long and was fully completed in August 2026; At present, there is no completed bridge, and the first batch of bridge structure installation plans are scheduled to start in 2027.

Gnawing on hard bones at high altitudes

Some sections of the road have an altitude of up to 3600 meters, and the high-altitude terrain poses significant challenges for construction. Kulov stated that unexpected difficulties such as changes in geological conditions, rockfall, and groundwater will be encountered during tunnel excavation, and multiple tests such as high altitude, high cold, high ground stress, and high seismic intensity will also be concentrated along the route.

According to the approved schedule, the construction period is six years, and the railway is planned to be put into operation in 2031; The contractor hopes to complete the project ahead of schedule by 2030. Currently, over 10000 personnel are involved in the construction.

From a landlocked country to a landlocked country

The railway in Kyrgyzstan has a total length of 304.84 kilometers and is used for both passenger and freight transportation, with a designed maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Since its commencement, the project has created over 3000 job opportunities for the local community, established 3 training centers, and provided training and career development opportunities for approximately 1800 citizens of Kyrgyzstan.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

For Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country, this means that there is an external transportation channel for mineral deposits and agricultural products in the mountainous areas, as well as stable transit income; For the dual landlocked country Uzbekistan, there is an additional eastward passage that does not pass through a third country.

From a dashed line on the blueprint to the towering bridge piers inch by inch deep in the Tianshan Mountains, the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway is transforming a landlocked country into a land connected nation.Editor/Yang Meiling