Proposals to Develop the Transport Sector Considered

On September 28, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on the issues of accelerating reforms in a transport sector.

The transport is one of the factors that defines and ensures an economic growth. An infrastructure renovation and opportunity expansion of the sector are being carried out in the country, which yields results.

In particular, the liberalization of air transport market led to double the number of companies operating flights to Uzbekistan for the last three years. The share of domestic carriers in the volume of international cargo transportation by motor vehicles has reached 62%. 300 kilometers of railways have been electrified; 1.5 thousand kilometers of roads have been built.

However, the potential in this direction is not utilized fully, there still remains a lot of work to be done. By the order of the President, the Agency for Strategic Reforms has analyzed the efficiency of work in the sphere and identified a number of problems.

For instance, the economy of Uzbekistan has increased by 16% for the last three years, but the turnover of goods on the railway network only by 7%.

There is still no any competitiveness in Civil Aviation, 10 airports operate at a low capacity. As a result, in terms of the convenience and competitiveness of supplies component, our country ranked 120th among 160 countries in the International Logistics Performance Index.

A large number of requests regarding these issues have also been received as part of an open dialogue with entrepreneurs.

The proposals for solving problems in the transport and logistic sector and achieving solid results were discussed at the meeting.

«This field is vital for the economy. If we do not bring the transport and logistics to the next level, we will not have a stable development in economy», - Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said.

The President has identified tasks in three areas - a significant expansion of rail transit opportunities, the transformation of civil aviation into a sphere with convenient, fast and high-quality service and the expansion of a network of modern roads for international transit cargo transportation.

The need to create a separate group on transport within the Agency for Strategic Reforms and develop sound proposals was emphasized. The President emphasized that creating convenience for the people is a priority.

The important role of railways in the development of industry and the activities of entrepreneurs was highlighted. The instructions were given to increase productivity in the sphere. In particular, it is necessary to purchase modern electric trains, repair carriages and financially improve the industry by removing non-core assets from the system.

In the field of aviation, it is necessary to improve the quality of service, develop the airports of Bukhara, Khorezm and the valley regions and improve the skills of personnel.

The President raised the issue of the quality and capacity of roads. Design, construction and control functions in the road sector are concentrated in one organization, as a result of which quality suffers. In this regard, instructions were given to introduce advanced standards, strengthen testing works and increase the responsibility of contractors.

A variety of other tasks have been identified to expand the transport infrastructure and digitalize the sphere.