Uzbekistan Railways and CRRC Discuss Construction of Locomotive Maintenance Center

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 28, Uzbekistan Railways held talks with CRRC during the InnoTrans 2026 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology in Berlin, Germany. The two sides held consultations on projects including the construction of a locomotive repair and maintenance service center at Uzbekistan Railways' industrial facilities, the production of modern railway freight cars, and the procurement of locomotives. The freight car cooperation involves models capable of operating on different track gauges, and the two sides also discussed matters such as technical support for new trains.

The talks incorporated vehicle procurement, local maintenance, and manufacturing capacity building into the scope of cooperation. According to information disclosed by Uzbekistan Railways, the proposed service center will rely on its existing industrial facilities to carry out locomotive repair and maintenance; the freight car project involves the production of variable-gauge models. At this stage, publicly available information has not disclosed the investment amount, construction site, or designed repair capacity of the maintenance center, nor the planned output of the freight car project. The relevant cooperation remains at the consultation stage.

In addition to CRRC, Uzbekistan Railways also continued to advance the high-speed electric multiple unit project with South Korea's Hyundai Rotem during the exhibition. The two sides discussed a contract plan for the procurement of 8 new high-speed electric multiple units, with each new train planned to be equipped with a separate VIP car and capsule seats. The final formation, number of seats, and technical parameters will be determined during the technical documentation preparation stage. The two sides also reached arrangements on the retrofit of existing high-speed train cars, planning to adjust the interior configuration of the last two cars of each train, with one VIP car equipped with tables and chairs per train.

The project for 8 additional high-speed electric multiple units had previously entered a stage of ongoing consultations. In June 2026, the Uzbek side and Hyundai Rotem had already begun coordinating on vehicle technical conditions; in September, during Uzbek President Mirziyoyev's visit to South Korea, the two sides again advanced cooperation on high-speed train supply, service facilities, and railway equipment. Hyundai Rotem management stated during InnoTrans 2026 that the Uzbekistan high-speed train supply project is still progressing and that further project developments are expected to follow.

Uzbekistan Railways also held talks during this event with institutions and enterprises including the European Commission, Deutsche Bahn, Serbian Railways, and Huawei. Cooperation with Deutsche Bahn includes training for Uzbekistan Railways professionals in Germany and joint scientific research projects; with Serbian Railways, the two sides discussed the possibility of Uzbekistan Railways participating in local mainline railway modernization projects; exchanges with technology enterprises such as Huawei focused on railway digitalization and the application of innovative solutions.

InnoTrans 2026 was held in Berlin from September 22 to 25. Uzbekistan Railways participated as an independent exhibitor for the first time and showcased products such as domestically produced railway freight cars. Uzbek representatives also participated in EU-related railway cooperation activities, discussing topics such as railway system interoperability, international standards, and infrastructure investment.