DUSHANBE, August 28, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik state unitary enterprise Rohi Ohani Tojikistion (Tajik Railways) is currently conducting negotiations with Uzbek state company Uzbekiston Temir Yullari (Uzbek Railways) over letting Tajik train run through its new branch Kumgurgan-Boysun-Tashguzar-Karshi that was introduced into operation several days ago.

This 223-kilometer branch built by Uzbekistan to bypass Turkmenistan will allow decreasing travel time, the source at Tajik Railways said.  

According to him, the new branch line means that Tajik passengers will have not to pass through passport and customs control four times.

“If an agreement is reached, our rate quotations may decrease because we will not pay transit fees to Turkmenistan any more and the route will be much shorter,” he said, noting that the agreement may be reached already this year.

It is to be noted that Uzbekistan decided to revive this railway project in 2003 already.

The January 29, 2003 CACI Analyst item titled “Uzbekistan to revive halted railway project to bypass Turkmenistan noted that Uzbekistan has decided to revive a railway project that would link several southern districts and bypass Turkmenistan.  An Uzbek government decree issued in January 2003 ordered the construction of the Tashguzar-Boysun-Kumkurgan line be speeded up and finished in 2007. The line will link the three district centers with the country\''s main railway line connecting the capital Tashkent with other parts of the country. The new line will allow trains heading from Tashkent for destinations in the southeast and on to Tajikistan to bypass Turkmenistan.  Railway lines in Central Asia were laid before the region was cut into five Soviet republics in the 1920s, and traveling by train between different regions of the same country sometimes involves crossing through another country.  The project to build the 220-kilometer (135-mile) line was launched in 1995 but was halted in several years for lack of funding.