Key facts
- Kyrgyz Railways said work was underway on 28 of 29 planned tunnels and 47 of 50 bridges on the Kyrgyz section.
- The project's deputy director general said about 22 percent of total construction was expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
- The deputy director general said tunnel excavation was 21.5 percent complete, earthworks 67 percent and bridge pile foundations 95 percent.
- The first tunnel, Kosh-Dobo-2, was fully excavated in August, and the first bridge structures are expected in 2027.
- The railway is officially scheduled to launch operations in 2031, though contractors are striving to finish earlier.
Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is advancing, with work underway on 28 of the 29 planned tunnels and 47 of 50 bridges along the roughly 305-kilometer Kyrgyz section, Kyrgyz Railways, a partner in the project, said in a report published November 4, 2026.
The project's deputy director general said about 22 percent of total construction work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Tunnel excavation was 21.5 percent complete, earthworks 67 percent complete and bridge pile foundations 95 percent complete, the deputy director general said.
The first tunnel, Kosh-Dobo-2, was fully excavated in August, and the first bridge structures are expected to be installed in 2027. The railway is officially scheduled to launch operations in 2031, though contractors are striving to finish work earlier.
Once complete, the roughly 530-kilometer line will provide China with a shorter, faster and cheaper rail route into Central Asia and onward markets, according to the report.