The map above shows the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project represented by the blue line connecting Kashgar to Andijan, with the yellow spots locating the strategic tunnels. The black lines and stops indicate functional routes, while the red ones do so for congestion zones.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is a project that on paper dates back more than a quarter of a century. CKU had first come into official talks in 1997 after the three countries signed a memorandum of understanding that was never implemented. After decades of delays and searches for investors, Jalalabad in Kyrgyzstan hosted a lceremony in December 2024 to launch the project. Shortly after the Ferghana Valley countries (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan) settled their decades-long border disputes on March 31, 2025, construction of the CKU railway began. The route offers the only east-west railway alternative to the Kazakhstan-China railway, making its eventual completion a potentially majör expansion for Central Asian commerce.

The 532.53 km-long route will have three significant tunnels: Naryn tunnel (Jaman-Davan) – 12.5 km, Koshtoba tunnel (Kazarman) – 13.2 km, and Fergana Mountain tunnel – 12.2 km. Beijing, Bishkek, and Tashkent agreed to share the project’s financing. China’s commitment includes a $2.35 billion low-interest loan and an additional $1.2 billion investment, indicating its 51% stake. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are each responsible for approximately $573 million, corresponding to their 24.5% shares. Kyrgyzstan has initiated its financial participation with a $14 million investment and plans to allocate a total of $131.4 million over three years, progressing towards its total expected contribution. 

The railway follows a path from Kashgar (China) to the Torugart pass (Kyrgyz-Chinese border), on to Makmal (Kyrgyzstan), then Jalalabad (Kyrgyzstan), and finally to Andijan (Uzbekistan). Since Andijan is already connected to Tashkent via rail, the completion of the project would establish a second railway route from China to the rest of Central Asia. Due to different gauge standards between Kyrgyzstan/Uzbekistan (1,520 mm) and China (1,435 mm), a dry port will be established at the Makmal station to shift containers from one gauge to the other.

In 2024, rail freight between China and Kazakhstan reached a record high of over 32 million tons, marking a 13% increase from 28.3 million tons. Experts estimate that the CKU railway can have an annual cargo transport capacity of up to 15 million tons. Assuming the CKU railway operates at full capacity, the China-Kazakhstan railway to CKU route volume would correspond to about 47% of the 2024 freight volume between China and Kazakhstan. The new route could decrease congestion along the Dostyk and Altynkol border crossings between China and Kazakhstan, but more likely will enable the demand for new shipping capacity from China. The CKU route would also decrease the delivery time to Europe by 900 km or seven days compared to existing routes.

The CKU railway marks a long-awaited expansion of China-Central Asia connectivity. While the full impact on overall transit volumes is not yet clear, the project’s strategic value in alleviating congestion points, increasing capacity, and shortening transit distances is evident.

To better understand the Middle Corridor, take a look at CPC’s live map of the multi-modal transit route, including its real and potential routes, chokepoints, and issues relating to sanctions.