High-speed trains may soon begin running between Bishkek and Osh: the journey will take 6–8 hours

High-speed trains may soon begin running between Bishkek and Osh. Azamat Sakiev, Chief Executive of the state-owned enterprise ‘Kyrgyz Temir Zholu’, announced this on ‘Birinchi Radio’.

According to him, construction of the Balykchy–Kochkor railway line has already been completed. There are plans to extend this line to Kara-Keche and then on to Makmal. Once the project is completed, the railway will connect the north and south of Kyrgyzstan.

Currently, the northern and southern parts of the country are linked by two motorways: one passes through the Too-Ashuu Pass, and the other is the new Balykchy–Manas route.

As Sakiev noted, the construction of a rail link between the north and south will enable the transport of freight and goods via a new route. According to him, this will be a faster and safer method of transport.

In addition, there are plans to run passenger trains on this railway line. ‘Kyrgyz Temir Zholu’ intends to organise high-speed train services, which could reduce the journey time from Bishkek to Osh to 6–8 hours.