Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has described the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) Railway project as “not just a transport corridor, but an important strategic bridge connecting the countries of the East and West.” In 2024, then-Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov referred to it as “a road of life.”
The CKU Railway project, connecting Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang to Andijan in Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan, has been under discussion for more than 20 years, with progress sluggish due to a range of complicating factors. While the economic, infrastructure, and political benefits are clear for all three states, challenges to the project have arisen related to Sinophobic sentiments among some opposition, the risks of a debt trap, disagreements over track gauge size, security and environmental concerns, and hesitation over increasing dependence on other regional powers.
Despite these challenges, some of which are yet to be completely solved, the project finally took a concrete step forward with the signing of a final construction agreement in Beijing on June 6, 2024. Since July 2025, the CKU has been under active construction.
The final plan charts a 530 km pathway, with about 304 km passing through Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan mountains. The route will connect Kashgar to Andijan, passing through Torugart, Makmal, and Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan.
