Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – A tourist train could be launched from Xi’an (China) to Tashkent and Samarkand.

Khikmatulla Rakhmetov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Railways, met with a delegation from the Xi’an Municipal Committee of China, led by Deputy Secretary Li Jing and other leaders.

During the meeting, the parties discussed measures to further strengthen railway and logistics links between China and Uzbekistan.

According to information from the Chinese delegation, in 2023, 5351 train movements were made from the port of Xi’an, 675 of which were directed to countries in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. It is planned to transport 20,000 TEU containers on the "Xi’an – Jizzakh" route by the end of this year.

Uzbekistan Railways expressed readiness to cooperate in increasing freight traffic through the port of Xi’an to Uzbekistan and through Uzbekistan. It was proposed to consider the possibility of transporting goods "Xi’an – Uzbekistan" via the "Kashgar – Irkeshtam – Osh – Andijan" route. It was also proposed to join the CASCA+ consortium.

Representatives of the Xi’an delegation announced plans to organize a tourist train along the "Xi’an – Almaty" route and launch it to Tashkent and Samarkand.

Khikmatulla Rakhmetov emphasized that the launch of a tourist train will further strengthen economic and cultural ties between China and Uzbekistan, considering China’s high tourist potential and Uzbekistan’s rich historical heritage.