True Left

China Signs Major Railroad Deal With Uzbekistan And Kyrgyzstan, Bypassing Russia

The three governments signed the agreement on September 14 on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.
...
The cost estimate is conservative compared to previous estimates of double that for a railroad that will pass through challenging mountainous terrain requiring a series of tunnels – reportedly 90 of them – to be built.

China will also need to build 160 kilometers of track to feed into the new line, according to The Economist.