BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 10. Kyrgyzstan will need to train around 2,500 railway specialists after the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway enters operation.
The estimate was announced by Director General of the state enterprise Kyrgyz Temir Zholu Azamat Sakiyev during Sakiyev's meeting with representatives of Northwest University, Peking University and Northwest University of Political Science and Law of China.
"According to preliminary estimates, after the completion of construction and commissioning of the railway, around 2,500 specialists in various railway professions will need to be trained," Sakiyev said.
The sides also discussed cooperation in education, including personnel training and retraining, academic exchange programs and the allocation of quotas for Kyrgyz specialists to study at leading Chinese universities.
For reference, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is one of Central Asia's largest transport infrastructure projects and the first direct rail link between China and Kyrgyzstan. Construction officially began in December 2024 after nearly three decades of negotiations. The approximately 520-kilometer railway will connect Kashgar in China's Xinjiang region with Andijan in Uzbekistan via Kyrgyzstan, creating a new freight corridor linking China with Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The Kyrgyz section is considered the most technically challenging, requiring the construction of dozens of bridges and tunnels through mountainous terrain. The project is estimated to cost about $4.7 billion, while completion is planned for 2030. Kyrgyz authorities expect the railway to strengthen the country's role as a regional transit hub, boost cargo traffic, attract investment and create new employment opportunities.
