Uzbekistan's railway sector continues to plague passengers with systemic issues, including a critical shortage of train cars, an aging fleet, severe ticket scarcity for high-speed trains, and subpar customer service at stations. Transport Minister Ilkhom Makhkamov disclosed these structural shortfalls on June 3 during an address to the Legislative Chamber.
According to the minister, the severe deficit in rolling stock remains one of the most pressing bottlenecks.
"At present, an additional 120 passenger cars are urgently required just to fully outfit our existing train routes. Furthermore, we are still operating completely obsolete carriages on passenger lines, many of which suffer from completely unacceptable sanitary standards," Ilkhom Makhkamov remarked.
The minister also specifically addressed the chronic ticket shortage plaguing the nation's premier Afrosiyob high-speed rail network.
"The overwhelming demand for our high-speed trains has triggered a massive ticket deficit. Our internal data and analysis show that at least 30% of citizens attempting to buy tickets are entirely locked out of booking due to the sheer lack of available seats," he stated.
According to Ilkhom Makhkamov, deploying additional passenger trains is severely hindered by existing railway infrastructure constraints.
"We simply lack the necessary track infrastructure to run additional passenger trains. Currently, the Tashkent–Samarkand corridor is the most congested segment of our network, with both freight and passenger traffic already operating at absolute maximum capacity. Consequently, introducing extra trains along this route is invariably problematic," the minister noted.
He further pointed out that commuter rail services remain entirely nonexistent in several regions of the country.
"In addition, the standard of customer service provided to passengers at railway stations remains visibly inadequate," Ilkhom Makhkamov added.
The minister concluded by reassuring that the grievances aired by citizens, members of parliament, and public survey respondents are being actively integrated into the development of upcoming regulatory frameworks.
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