The Kamchiq Tunnel () is a long railway tunnel in

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, which makes it the longest tunnel in Central Asia and in ex-USSR, and the longest broad gauge railway tunnel in the world (not counting metros).

Background

This tunnel connects the fertile and densely populated

Fergana Valley The Fergana Valley (also commonly spelled the Ferghana Valley) in Central Asia crosses eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Encompassing three former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, the valley is e ...

region of Uzbekistan, where about one third of the population lives, to the rest of the country. Prior to the fall of

the Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and the independence of the republics of Central Asia, connectivity to

region was not an issue, as a rail line cutting across

Sughd Region Sughd Province, also referred to as the Sogdia Region, and Leninabad before 2001, is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the north ...

Tajik SSR The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, also commonly known as Soviet Tajikistan, the Tajik SSR, TaSSR, or simply Tajikistan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1929 to 1991 in Central Asia. The Tajik Re ...

connected

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

and the rest of

to the region. The breakup of the Soviet Union meant that

was connected to the rest of Uzbekistan via only one road connection, A373 Highway through Kamchik Pass. Rail connection required travelling through territory of the now separate country of

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

, resulting in a reported annual cost of $25 million in transit fees paid to Tajikistan.

Construction

The tunnel was built by the China Railway Tunnel Group in collaboration with the

Uzbek Railways The Uzbekistan Railways () are the national rail carrier of Uzbekistan. The company owns and operates all railways within the country. It is a state-owned stock company, formed in 1994 to operate railways within Uzbekistan. As of March 2017, the ...

and leads through seven

geologic fault In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

s. Construction began September 2013 and the excavation works were finished 27 February 2016. In January 2014, work was delayed by an avalanche, covering the entrance with of snow. The tunnel is part of the Angren–Pop railway line. The tunnel was opened for traffic on June 22, 2016.

References

{{Uzbekistan topics Railway tunnels in Uzbekistan Tunnels completed in 2016

Background

Construction

See also

References