BISHKEK, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan on Friday.

The railway is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, personally promoted by the heads of state of China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, said an official with China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway). It is a strategic connectivity project linking China with Central Asia.

The railway will start in Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, cross the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, then proceed westward through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalalabad, and reach the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan, the official said.

The three parties have agreed that China is responsible for the construction of the section within China, Uzbekistan is responsible for the upgrading and reconstruction of the section within its territory, while the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Company, a joint venture established by enterprises authorized by the three governments, is responsible for the financing, construction and operation of the section within Kyrgyzstan, the official said.

Since the signing of the intergovernmental agreement between the three countries, the governments and enterprises of the three nations have actively promoted the project's preliminary work and achieved a series of milestones, the official noted.

According to the approved feasibility study, the Kyrgyz section of the railway will be a single-track line using diesel locomotives (with provisions for future electrification), designed for a speed of 120 km/h. There will be 20 stations along the line, including Torugart station, Markmal transshipment station and Jalalabad station.

According to the current progress of the project, the construction of the Kyrgyz section of the railway project is scheduled to begin in July 2025 and last for six years.

In the next steps, the official said, China Railway will thoroughly implement the consensus reached by the three heads of state, fully utilize the role of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Company as the project's implementing body, accelerate work such as construction drawings design, environmental assessments, land acquisition and relocation, to ensure that construction of the project will start as planned.

Once completed, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will become a strategic corridor benefiting all the three countries and their peoples, contributing to regional economic and social development and playing a significant role in promoting infrastructure connectivity, economic and trade exchanges, and high-quality development of the Belt and Road, the official added. Enditem

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