Kazakhstan begins construction of 152-km railway line to UzbekistanKazakhstan has started building a new 152 km railway line to Uzbekistan, beginning in the Turkistan region in the south to enhance regional connectivity."The new railway line will reroute cargo from the current Saryagash - Tashkent route to this new segment, easing traffic on the Saryagash station and enhancing exports to Uzbekistan. It will foster the Turkistan region's development by integrating it with the main railway network of Kazakhstan," the government's press office said.As of this year, the total cargo transported between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has reached 25.8 million tonnes. The main route for this cargo is through the Saryagash border station, which is now functioning at its full capacity.The Prime Minister mentioned in his speech that the volume of cargo transportation to Uzbekistan is expected to hit about 31 million tonnes by the end of the year. This figure represents a 16% increase compared to the volume recorded last year."To expand the capacity of this section, as well as to increase our country's export and transit potential, we are starting the construction of a major railway project - the new Darbaza - Maktaaral line,"  Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said.The project is divided into two phases. The first involves constructing the Yerdaut - Maktaaral - Uzbekistan borderline with an extension to the Syrdarya station. The second phase entails the commissioning of the Zhetysai - Uzbekistan border branch, also leading to the same station.The railway project will see the construction of 152 km of track, with plans to acquire 19,700 tonnes of rails and 280,000 sets of concrete sleepers and rail fastenings. The project is expected to generate 3,400 jobs and will predominantly use Kazakhstani materials and resources, accounting for 85% of the total content. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX