63 km opened: Kyrgyzstan launches first section of Balykchy–Kochkor railway

Kyrgyzstan opened the Balykchy–Kochkor railway section, spanning 63 kilometers, the first phase of the large-scale Balykchy–Kara-Keche–Makmal project. Construction of this section began in March 2022 under difficult conditions—on swampy and rocky terrain.

At the Kochkor station opening ceremony in Naryn region, President Sadyr Japarov was present, arriving by train and personally inspecting the infrastructure of the new facility. According to news agency Kabar, Japarov previously stated that the new railway would change Kyrgyzstan's role in the international transport system.

In parallel, construction continues on the major regional project—the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway with a total length of 525 kilometers, of which 304 kilometers run through Kyrgyzstan's territory. The route runs from Kashgar through the Torugart Pass to Jalal-Abad and further into Uzbek Andijan.

State enterprise Kyrgyz Temir Zholu reports that construction of temporary roads and power supply facilities on the Kyrgyz section has been completed. Work is underway on 28 of 29 tunnels with a combined length of approximately 104 kilometers—excavation in one has already finished. Construction is also progressing on 47 of 50 planned bridges.

Ulan Kulov, deputy director of Kyrgyz Temir Zholu, announced on First Radio that 22 percent of construction work is planned to be completed by the end of this year. For 2026, the target is set to exceed the planned indicator and reach 110 percent of the planned volume. Over 10,000 workers and approximately 7,000 units of specialized equipment are engaged at the construction site.

In Toguz-Toro district of Jalal-Abad region, the Makmal cargo station is being constructed on an area of 400 hectares. The designed capacity is up to 15 million tons of cargo per year. In the future, it will be connected to the domestic line Bishkek–Balykchy–Kochkor–Kara-Keche, integrating it with the international route.