Bishkek and Osh are two largest cities in Kyrgyzstan. There are no trains between Bishkek and Osh. Kyrgyzstan has two railway lines – northern from Lugovaya through Bishkek to Balykchy (it will be extended to Kochkor) and southern from Osh to Jalal-Abad throuth the Uzbekistan territory.
The two railway lines in Kyrgyzstan are not connected. Southern Line from Osh to Jalal-Abad is not operational since 2010.
Kyrgyzstan has four railway lines in the South-West, in Tash-Kumyr, Jalal-Abad, Osh and Kyzyl-Kiya regions with a total length of 101.2km of line, but all these lines don’t have connections with the rest of Kyrgyzstan rail network. Cargo transport from Bishkek to Osh require detours through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In 1994 the government decided to implement the Trans-Kyrgyz projekct Balykchy – Kochkor – Jalal-Abad. The new railway line would connect separate railway networks. Construction began in 1998 but engineering works was soon stopped due to financial crisis. The project was finally abandoned in 2000. The only reminders are unfinished stations and embankments.
In 2023 Kyrgyzstan started construction of the railway line from Balykchy to Kochkor, as a part of the China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan. The construction of the railway line between China and Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan has been planned for years, but construction plans have been abandoned several times.
Maybe in the future the northern and southern railway lines in Kyrgyzstan will be connected and train from Bishkek to Osh will run every day. Currently, there are no chance for passsenger service from Bishkek to Osh in the nearest future.
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