Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Infrastructure as a Foundation for Job Creation
Aside from the expected climatic and vehicle use impacts, other factors also 
affect road conditions. In cities that have central district heating systems, 
damage to roads can be severe due to refurbishments of heating systems that 
require digging to access pipes. The result can be a poor road surface where 
repaving is not to the original standard. This has been a particular issue in 
Tashkent, where the heating infrastructure is refurbished annually. The city’s 
roads are also affected by the laying of optical wires through the Safe City 
Project. The Safe City Project was implemented in August 2017 initially in 
Tashkent, with completion expected in 2019 (Yeniseyev n.d.). The project is 
expected to be rolled out to all provincial capitals and larger cities by 2021 and 
the rest of Uzbekistan by 2023. With the project’s expansion, the quality of 
some roads may deteriorate further.
Uzbekistan’s road networks facilitate the truck transport of goods.
2
The Uzbek 
trucking industry is considered underdeveloped, however. Its fleets are old and 
in serious need of renewal, either through replacement or significant upgrading. 
In 2010, the trucking fleet was 19 years old on average, compared with 6.7 years 
in the United States (ADB 2012). Fewer than 2,000 trucks are Uzbek owned, 
and they are mostly outdated Russian equipment. Foreign-owned trucks 
from countries such as Iran, the Russian Federation, and Turkey are in much 
better condition. As a result, the many foreign competitors are taking business 
away from local trucking companies (WFP Logistics 2019). As of 2013, Uzbek 
private truckers operated about 34,000 vehicles. To meet projected demands 
for shipments by 2020, up to 6,500 additional new vehicles may be needed 
annually in 2019 and 2020 to augment the current supply and to replace at 
least 50% of the existing trucking fleet (CER 2013b).
Rail.
As a double-landlocked country, Uzbekistan relies heavily on rail transport 
for freight and passenger movements (ADB 2017b). Thus, the railway sector 
is an instrument for economic development. In line with this, the government, 
through the Uzbekiston Temir Yullari (UTY—Uzbekistan Railways) is 
implementing projects to improve the railway system, such as electrifying the 
railways, constructing new high-speed routes, and renewing the rolling stock. 
The UTY’s current projects include establishing an electrified commuter 
train network in Tashkent; constructing a new branch of the Tashkent City 
subway (metro); resuscitating the tramway transport in Samarkand City; and 
constructing bridges, tunnels, and overpasses for roads. 
2
The International Road Transport Union identified trucks as the most important way to move goods https://
www.iru.org/who-we-are/about-mobility/trucks (accessed 26 March 2018).

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