The 35^th anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan is celebrated throughout the country under the noble motto “Uniting Motherland, Uniting People, We Shall Build a New Life, a New Future!” For us, independence means, first of all, self-determination, taking responsibility for national industry and the future. The enormous creative work conducted in our country, new industrial capacities, digital technologies and investment projects are the practical results of independence. In this sense, the current activities of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex and the Industrial Rail Transport Administration, which are an integral part of our country’s economy, are also an important part of the promising development path.

If we look back, the administration, created in 1953, was formed in close connection with the development of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. In 1954, the first railway line connecting Almalyk with the Akhangaran station was put into operation, and the transportation of industrial goods was established. In recent years, four railway workshops, a wagon service, a contact network service, a power supply service, a signalling, centralisation and blocking and communications service, a lifting transport equipment service, as well as a quarry for non-metallic building materials have been opened, and a modern railway system has been formed. A simple structure that began its activities yesterday with small steam locomotives has today grown into a large enterprise, uniting 2,543 highly qualified specialists thanks to the limitless opportunities provided by Independence. Currently, the administration has at its disposal 49 ПЭ2У (M) traction units, 2 modernized МПЭ2У units, 33 diesel locomotives of the TЭM2, TЭM18, TЭM18ДM series and 2 2TЭ116 diesel locomotives. The movement also includes 698 2БC-105 bunkers, 137 6БC-60 bunkers, 129 tanks of various brands, 44 platforms, 30 hooper-batchers and 35 units of special self-propelled railway equipment to ensure the continuity of the production process.

During the years of Independence, in particular, in 2017–2026, the administration built 34.1 kilometers of new railways, installed 66 sets of switch overpasses, and completed the construction of 1 new railway station.

The existing railway infrastructure - Kalmakyr station, technological buildings and structures, siding 668 and connecting railways - 100% meets the needs of the Copper Concentrator and Copper Concentrator-2 for ore transportation. The advantage of rail transport is that it allows for efficient transport of ore in conjunction with existing infrastructure and production processes.

As a result of the phased development of the quarry, it is planned to achieve a production level of 100 million tons of ore per year, and in the future – 165 million tons.

In this regard, it is planned to move the Kalmakyr station to a new location in 2028-2030. According to preliminary estimates, 35 kilometers of railway and 72 sets of switch overpasses will be built at the new location. At the existing station, 21.2 kilometers of railway tracks and 68 sets of switch overpasses will be dismantled.

In particular, within the framework of the mega-project for the development of the Yoshlik I deposit, railway workers complete a number of tasks. In particular, the roads in the direction of the Almalyksay dump were dismantled and transferred to the Nakpasay dump. To this end, large-scale reconstruction work was carried out on the territory of the Otvalnaya station and the Nakpasay dump to transport 13.2 million cubic meters of overburden rock. The project includes the construction of 10.5 kilometers of railways, an additional 24 sets of turnouts, and the implementation of computer-based interlocking and electronic axle counting systems (EACS). To date, 9.6 kilometers of roads have been laid. The modular building has been commissioned and the computer-based interlocking and electronic axle counting systems (EACS) equipment has been installed. Currently, 8 million cubic meters of rock are transported annually from Otvalnaya to Nakpasay using 9 locomotive-trains. According to the forecast for 2027–2030, in order to reach 14 million cubic meters, the number of locomotive-trains will need to be increased to 16. For this purpose, maintenance depots are being built. In addition, the Karernaya and Novy Razyezd stations are being built to arrange additional transportation of 10 million tons of ore from the Yoshlik quarry to the Copper Concentrator. This project includes the construction of 9.3 kilometers of railway tracks and 39 sets of switch overpasses, with 6.3 kilometers of track and 19 sets of switch overpasses already installed by 2024.

There are also plans to dismantle the Porodnaya station and create new railway infrastructure in its place.

Today’s progress is impossible to imagine without digital technologies. As part of the Digital Uzbekistan 2030 strategy, 12 modern information systems were launched in the administration. These include TRS, which monitors the departure and return of vehicles for repairs, SW, which tracks supply cars in the region, RIS, digital management of railway infrastructure, an event recording system, a technical measurement database, a system for instructions on occupational health and safety, monitoring of railway transport, personnel history, fuel consumption, the STTB protocol, ASUTOiR systems integrated with Wialon, and ASUGTK, integrated with the scale system, which contribute to increasing the speed of decision-making and the quality of control in production management. A lot of work has been done in the area of savings; fuel monitoring systems have been installed on equipment. Fuel consumption metering systems have been introduced on diesel locomotives, and new filling stations have been built. A comprehensive automated fuel metering system based on GARVEX equipment has been established at oil depots and gas stations. To ensure safety, control panels at stations are being replaced with modern systems, and control monitors and monitoring equipment are being installed on locomotives. Previous electrical centralization systems are gradually being replaced by microprocessor centralization and electronic axle counting systems.

As part of the development of the production base in 2024, a new rail assembly base and a car repair center were built on the territory of Railway Workshop No. 2, and a modern overhead crane with a capacity of 50 tons was installed. The new filling station for locomotives and cars was equipped with modern equipment. As part of the Industrial Triangle localization program, 36 types of products have been localized in cooperation with the Angren, Almalyk, Akhangaran towns, and the Akhangaran and Pskent districts. In 2025, an experimental site was created on the basis of Railway Shop-3, where the production of more than 30 types of parts for locomotives and railways was established. In 2026, a localization site will be established on the basis of the repair facility. It is planned to produce 12 2BC-105 dump cars per year. The economic impact of the project is expected to be 9.8 billion soums.

We have very ambitious strategic goals for 2026-2040. During this period, it is planned to build 90 kilometers of new railway tracks, dismantle 48 kilometers of railway tracks, build 4 new railway stations, reconstruct 10 stations, dismantle 3 stations, purchase 306 units of railway equipment, and also acquire 1 crushing device and several modern machines.

But for us, the true author of the greatest wealth and achievements is not technology, but the human factor. The knowledge, experience and devotion to the Motherland of our dedicated workers who built every kilometre of railway and operated every complex locomotive are our highest value.

The staff of the Industrial Rail Transport Department will continue to work selflessly, protecting our dear Independence like the apple of our eye, increasing the country’s economic strength and leaving a legacy of a prosperous and flourishing Uzbekistan for future generations. Let our Independence be eternal.

Sirojiddin Manazarov,

Industrial Rail Transport Department