Uzbekistan Rolls Out First High Speed Railway Operations

Uzbekistan has unveiled the region’s first high-speed train, which will connect the Uzbek capital of Tashkent with the country’s second largest city Samarkand.

The train, which was manufactured by Spanish train maker Talgo, can travel at a speed of 254km/hr on the 344km line, covering the distance in two hours and 10 minutes.
Uzbekistan state-run railway company Uzbekistan Temir Yullari signed a $55m deal with Spain’s Patentes Talgo in 2009 to supply the trains.
Talgo delivered the first Talgo AVE 250 train last month while the second train is expected next month.
The line is scheduled to open in early September and is expected to boost the tourism industry in the country.
Uzbekistan has invested $116.8m to upgrade its Soviet era railroad infrastructure and plans to open similar lines to Bukhara city with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank.