“Kyrgyzstan and Georgia placed Black Sea access at the center of their transport agenda during Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s official visit to Bishkek on June 11-13. In talks with President Sadyr Japarov at Yntymak Ordo, the new presidential palace complex, on June 12, the two sides linked their cooperation to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, known as CKU, and to Georgia’s role in the Trans-Caspian route between Central Asia and Europe.”
“That focus gave the visit a wider regional dimension, as landlocked Kyrgyzstan still lacks a direct rail link with China. Georgia offers access to Black Sea ports and sits on the South Caucasus section of the Middle Corridor. If the CKU line becomes operational, Bishkek wants cargo moving from China through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to connect with routes across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.”
“The CKU railway has moved from a decades-long plan to active construction. The financing agreement signed in Bishkek set the project cost at $4.7 billion. About half will be financed through a 35-year Chinese loan to the joint project company. China holds a 51% stake in the company, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each hold 24.5%. The planned line runs from Kashgar in China through Kyrgyzstan to Andijan in Uzbekistan.”
“The project would give Bishkek a rail role it has never had. Kyrgyzstan has no through rail route linking China with Uzbekistan, and the new line would make the country a direct part of east-west freight traffic rather than being bypassed by it.”
“For Uzbekistan, the CKU would add a route to China and another path toward western markets. For China, it would open a southern rail route into Central Asia and reduce dependence on Kazakhstan as the main overland rail gateway…”
https://timesca.com/kyrgyzstan-and-georgia-seek-black-sea-link-for-cku-railway/