 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND |
The history of Uzbek Railway starts in 1874 when a special commission found it necessary to build a new railway line from Orenburg to Tashkent. Later on, that decision had been changed and the first railway line had to link Tashkent with the Eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. The construction of the Transcaspian railway started in November 1880, and after five years the builders had reached Ashgabat and then Chardjou. By May 1888, when the wooden bridge over Amu Darya River was completed, trains started going to Samarkand, and in 1899, the railway reached Tashkent. In the same time, construction of the railway from Ursatjevskaya (Khavast) station to Fergana valley was also finished, followed by the Tashkent-Orenburg railway whose construction started in 1900. This line was completed in January 1906, opening direct connection between Central Asia and Central Russia.
Railway played a key role during World War II connecting Caucasus with the central part of Russia. During that time, much work has been done to ensure a greater traffic capacity of the road. Moreover, in a short time, 9 iron foundry and 3 steel mill workshops had been constructed for the production of short supply materials and spare parts, and Tashkent-Angren line was completed at the end of war. After World War II, the railway workers of Uzbekistan had actively participated in the economic rebuilding process of the country, and the most important event was the construction of the Chardjou-Kungrad-Beineu railway line of 1025 km, which started in 1972.
| CURRENT FACTS |
State Joint Stock Railway Company "Uzbekiston Temir Yullary" was established on November 7, 1994 on the base of the former Central Asian railway. The exploitation length of railways is 4000 km, and the company has more than 54,700 employees.
Nowadays the Company renders its services to the biggest plants, factories, mines, quarries, metallurgical enterprises, and chemical industries of the country. Among them Chirchik production enterprise "Elentrokhimprom", Almalyk production enterprise "Ammofos", Navoi production enterprise "Navoiazot", Almalyk mining and metallurgical combinat , Angren coal quarry, Fergana and Karaul-Bazar oil processing plants, Asaka motor-car construction plant "UzDaewooauto" and others.
Carrying capacity of Uzbek Railway is 200 million tons cargo per year. The Company has 246 stations. Traffic capacity of Junction station Chengeldi is up to 100 pairs of cargo trains per day, and up to 40 pairs per day at junction stations of Beuneu and Khodjadavlat.
In 2000, UZBEK RAILWAY has loaded 42,3 thousand-ton cargo, and the main goods carried by Company are oil products-29,9%, construction materials-26,1%, coal-7,3%, cotton-fiber-2,4%, chemical and mineral fertilizers-6,3%.
Management of trains traffic is carried out from the United-dispatching Center, which allows immediately to solve exploitation matters of roads, and implement effective control over technical conditions of locomotives and carrier fleets.
| NEW PROJECTS |
One of the main programs of the country is to fulfill a general plan of the electrification of railways, which at present, the length of the electrified lines is about 618 km. Nowadays, construction works are being carried out on electrification Marokand-Bukhara, Bukhara-Karshi, Karshi-Marakand and Tashkent-Angren lines.
Currently, 239 stations of the company are equipped with centralized electrical signals and railway points, and 3872 km of the roads are equipped with automatic block systems. The total length of main overhead lines is 2400 km, and underground cable lines is more than 6000 km.
The Railway Department of the Company has 25 enterprises, and one of these enterprises is "Ayvalekmahsystemirbeton", a unique enterprise in Uzbekistan that produces ferro-concrete sleepers, inert materials and ferro-concrete pressure pipes. In 2000 the enterprise produced 220.000 pieces of ferro-concrete sleepers. In the nearest future, the enterprise is planning to reach its full capacity to produce 500 000 pieces of ferro-concrete sleepers per year.
The Company exploits diesel locomotives of the series - 2TE10M, L, B , 3TE10M, ChME-3, TEM2 and electric locomotives of the series - BL60K, 2BL60K, 2BL80C, 3BL80C. Locomotive depot of the Company carry out all types of electrical and diesel locomotive repair. Additionally, the first stage of electric locomotives repair is assimilated by electric locomotive depot.
During the last years, the plant of production "Uzjeldorremmash" has organized the production of main spare parts for locomotives, passengers and cargo carriers. The advantage of the enterprise is that it is a unique enterprise to produce spare parts in Central Asian region. The enterprise not only fully satisfies the requirements of the Company for capital repair of carriers, renders capital repair services, but also exports spare parts to Kyrgizistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia.
Andijan repair and mechanical plant's capacity for capital repair of cargo trains two times exceeds the requirements of the Company. In the workshops of the plant double tiered closed trucks have been re-equipped for transportation of "UzDaewooauto" cars. On the base of this plant, it is planned to build joint venture to produce cisterns for oil transportation.
 PASSENGERS SERVICES |
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The Company has excellent passengers terminals in Andijan, Margilan, Kokand, Namangan, Navoi, Karshi, Urgench, Kysil-Tepa, Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent and Kitab stations. Everyday more than 10 000 passengers enjoy Uzbek Railway services.
The Company "Uzbekistan Temir Yullari" is a main linking bridge between East and West, and this bridge plays special role in providing transport links between China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Turkey, the CIS and the European countries. With the aim of accurate coordination and regulation of transport forwarding services, and to work out the concepts of tariff policy for international transportation of cargoes, the state enterprise of "Uzbekjeldorekspeditsiya" was established within the framework of the Company. "Uzbekjeldorekspeditsiya", as an associated member of FIATA that is comprised of more than 2000 transportation organizations worldwide. The enterprise has agreements with many railway administrations of CIS, European and Asian countries for transport forwarding services. These agreements allow to solve all import and export issues regarding the Uzbek goods efficiently.
| FUTURE OUTLOOKS |
In order to explore new mineral deposits, to improve transport services and to create single transport network, the government of Uzbekistan is paying great attention to strengthen technical and financial conditions of the Company. In the years of independence the new railway line Uchkuduk-Misken-Nukus, with the length of 341 km, has been built and given for exploitation. The construction of another new line Guzar - Boysun - Kumkurgan, , is in process now, with a total length of 220 km.
Today, the main source for development of the railway transport is the attraction of foreign investments, and therefore, the following projects are included in the investment program of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
1) Rehabilitation of railways;
2) Improvement of railway passenger wagons;
3) Renewal of locomotive parks;
4) Electrification of lines.
In 2001, passenger wagon's capital repair plant, financed by Japan Bank for International Corporation, had been finished and put into operation in Tashkent. With its full capacity, this plant will satisfy the need of the Company and also offer its services to all interested railway administrations.
Much work is being done to assimilate the loan of the Asian Development Bank, granted for railway reconstruction project, in the amount of $70 million US. This project includes capital repair of Chengeldi - Samarkand line; with a total length of 320 km. Moreover, a new loan for capital repair of Samarkand - Bukhara line has been agreed upon with a bank, in order to start working on this project.
Another loan agreement between "Uzbekistan Railways" and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development came into effect, in the amount of $40 million US, which is granted for the renewal of the electrical Locomotive Park of the company.
With the aim of localizing-imported products and increase export products, a plan has been elaborated to build electric carriers' repair plant in the base of Tashkent diesel carriers' repair plant, with an approximate cost of $54,4 million US. This plant will be built under preferential loan from Japanese Bank for International Corporation. It is expected that this project will repair 54 sections of the electric locomotives, 36 sections of the electric trains annually and also the purchase of 10 electric trains
State Joint Stock Railway Company "Uzbekistan Temir Yullari" is a member of the Committee for the Organization for Railways Cooperation - OSShD, and has close relationships with many other international organizations such as: the International Union of Railways - UIC, Economic Commission of UN for Asian and Pacific region - ESCATO. "Uzbekistan Temir Yullari" works with TRACECA project (Transport corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia) under TACIS program of the European Union Commission.
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| THE SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF 'UZBEK RAILWAY' TO THE ECONOMY |
UZBEK RAILWAY pays much attention for development and strengthening of social sphere. Consequently, in the framework of the Company, there are certain foundations such as the Institute of Engineers of Railway Transport, two colleges, medical college, road technical school and academic lyceum, with more than 5 000 students studying in these schools.
In the most beautiful corner of Fergana valley, there is "Chimion" a resort for treatment with mineral and sulfate waters, and another resort "Khodjikent" has been constructed in the foothills of Chimgan mountains. Today, the Company possesses 6 stadiums, 28 sport gyms, 4 swimming pools and 280 sport fields. Moreover, there is sanatorium clinic in Nazarbek village nearby Tashkent, a central clinic, a central polyclinic, a children's hospital, and a health center, located in Tashkent, that provide specialized medical service for all types of illness.
The Company is also giving much attention for the organization of travelling service for tourists. For example, in the comfortable wagons, you can have an interesting journey to the unique cities of the ancient Orient civilization such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Shakhrisabz, Kokand and Khiva. In these cities you will get acquainted not only with monuments of oriental architecture but also with masters of peoples' art, national traditions, dancing and singing folklores. Traveling among the picturesque foothills and spurs of the Tiyan-Shan and Alay blossoming valleys and exotic oasis of Kyzylkum deserts you will witness advantages of railway before other kinds of transport. The ancient monuments of past epochs will allow you to touch the history of Great Silk Road, and travel through caravan roads.
State Joint Stock Railway Company "Uzbekistan Temir Yullari" holds priority directions for international relations, fruitful mutual corporation with all interested organizations on development of transport services. |
