On 9 January 2018, the first train driven by an electric locomotive was launched on the Karshi-Termez railway line, the total length of which is 325 kilometers, thereby ensuring the technical conditions for replacing locomotives with modern electric locomotives.

Works on the electrification of the Karshi and Derbent stations started in early 2017 and were fully completed at the end of the year. Within the framework of the project, 6 traction substations were built in Tashguzar, Dehkanabad, Akravat, Boysun, Kumkurgan and Raziezd (crossing point) No. 165.

At the same time, this railway line was equipped with a modern system of signaling, interlocking and communications. Technical supervision of the project has been carried out by the German company “DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH”.

It is also important that the use of electric locomotives instead of “smoke-generating” diesel locomotives contributes to the improvement of the ecological situation in the region and ensures a decrease in transportation costs for passenger and freight traffic by more than a third due to the energy efficiency. The speed of movement has also been significantly increased and the carrying capacity of the railway has growned.

Taking into account the fact that this railway line passes through the mountain ranges, the use of electric locomotives will significantly increase the volume of freight traffic. Until today, some two locomo­tives were needed to haul one freight train. This, in turn, created a number of difficulties for the locomotive drivers, as locomotives were coupled on both sides of the train. From now on, this process is carried out by one powerful modern electric locomotive. In electric locomotives all conditions for the normal operation of the drivers have been provided, and the control system is almost 100-percent computerized.

Currently, “Uzbekistan Temir Yollari” JSC has been implementing several major projects to electrify railway lines, among which the largest one is considered to be the electrification of a 145-km long railway section in the most densely populated region of the country - the Ferghana Valley on the railway line Pap - Namangan - Andijan.