The length of the Kyrgyz railway is 424.6 km, and it plays a crucial role in the country's transport infrastructure. This network provides a strategic connection between Kyrgyzstan and the railway systems of neighboring countries, as well as facilitating the development of international trade and passenger transportation.
The railway network of the republic consists of two isolated sections: the northern section, 323.4 km long, connects Rybalche with TurkSib in Kazakhstan, serving as an important transit route for cargo heading to Russia and other CIS countries. The southern section, with a length of 101.2 km, provides access to the railway network of Uzbekistan. Currently, there are 28 stations operating within this network.
The state enterprise NC "Kyrgyz Temir Zholu" continues to develop confidently, increasing transportation volumes since 2021. By the end of 2025, the company achieved a historic record, transporting over 10 million tons of cargo, which is a significant event for the Kyrgyz railway. For comparison, the average annual cargo volume in the republic previously amounted to about 7 million tons. Since 2022, there has been a steady growth trend: in 2024, the transportation volume reached 9.2 million tons.
The reasons for the increase in cargo transportation volumes include several factors, such as improved production efficiency, the development of railway corridors and routes, as well as systematic modernization of the sector. In 2021, a strategy was developed aimed at revitalizing the enterprise, which at that time was operating at a loss and needed updates to both production capacities and transportation processes.
The initial stages of the reforms included digitalization, reducing risks associated with the human factor, combating corruption, optimizing expenses, revising the regulatory framework, as well as modernizing repair complexes and infrastructure. At the same time, efforts were made to expand international connections, within which new multimodal transport corridors from China to Europe were opened.
Additionally, as part of the digitalization of cargo transportation, software called "Unified Model of the Transportation Process" was developed and implemented, which integrates all stages of cargo transportation into a single information system.
