Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan Agree to Boost Freight Train Exchange

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to increase the exchange of freight trains to 35 pairs per day, according to Uzbekistan Railways.

A multilateral meeting was held in Tashkent at the Saryagash border junction point between authorized agencies of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

During the talks, the parties coordinated joint measures to ensure the uninterrupted transportation of grain cargoes through the interstate Saryagash junction point toward Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Following the discussions, the sides agreed to raise the daily exchange of trains to 35 pairs and to ensure that Uzbekistan accepts at least 10 grain trainsets in grain hoppers and 5 trainsets of food products in covered wagons each day.

The parties also agreed on the need to support unloading operations to maintain wagon turnover, ensure the functioning of unloading sidings, and keep authorized services operating around the clock, including on weekends and public holidays.

To balance the loading and unloading of grain cargoes, the sides will plan export shipments based on available capacity among grain consignees in Uzbekistan and coordinate the circulation of empty wagons.

Uzbekistan Railways noted that the agreements reached will help stabilize logistics chains and ensure the timely delivery of Kazakh grain to markets in Uzbekistan and other countries.

Over the first 11 months of this year, freight traffic between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reached 28.5 million tonnes - an increase of 16% compared to the same period in 2024. Grain shipments saw particularly strong growth, rising by 32% to 5.6 million tonnes.