Achievements, problems and prospects of road transport in Tajikistan. Let's talk about the most important things

Domestic and foreign trade, the development of international economic and transit relations of the country are impossible without the development of transport. That is why our country pays special attention to this issue. Overcoming the communication impasse is called one of the strategic goals. On the Day of the Motorist, which is celebrated on July 25, the head of the land transport department of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sayfullo Kodirzoda, told what achievements we have achieved, What problems are an obstacle and what new projects await the republic in this direction.

According to the interlocutor, the transport sector is developing thanks to the direct support of the Government of the country and the implementation of the State Target Program for the Development of the Transport Complex of the Republic of Tajikistan until 2025. The document defines the main priority areas for the development of road transport: the establishment of international cooperation, the creation of logistics networks, and the provision of quality service to international carriers. "Currently, 227 road transport companies carry out cargo transportation and passenger transportation. Of these, 83 companies are engaged in passenger transportation, and 78 are engaged in the transportation of goods, another 66 are mixed companies that provide services for both types of transportation. The share of Tajik companies is 98%. Of the foreign companies in our country, transportation services are provided by 4 companies," Sayfullo Kodirzoda said in an interview.

According to the statistics cited by the interlocutor, the number of vehicles in our country has increased over the past decade. "If in 2014 there were 38939 vehicles of all kinds, today the figure exceeds 601136. As of January 1, 2023, 51781 trucks, 16491 passenger cars, 524045 passenger vehicles, as well as 4419 trailers and semi-trailers were registered in the republic. Every year these figures increase," commented the head of the department.

Referring to the volume of cargo transportation by road, the interlocutor explained that for 6 months of 2023, 50 million 403 thousand tons of cargo were transported, and the volume of passenger traffic amounted to 431 million passengers, which is 13.6% and 8.7% more compared to the same period last year, respectively.

Sayfullo Kodirzoda commented on the question of how many kilometers of international and local roads are built annually on average in the republic as follows: "Within the framework of the projects being implemented, the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tajikistan built or reconstructed 14314 km of public roads, including 3342 km of international roads, 2110 km of republican roads and 8862 km of local roads."

According to him, at the moment, 9 automobile corridors pass through the territory of the republic on the basis of international conventions and programs within the framework of the international programs SARES, TRACECA, Asian Highways and the European International Road Agreement. In particular, 3 corridors under SARES, 2 corridors under TRACECA, 3 corridors under the Asian Highway and one corridor under the European International Road Agreement.

"In general, there are 51 automobile terminals in the republic, including 44 passenger terminals and 7 cargo terminals. It should be noted that 17 cargo terminals of international importance have been built at all border crossing points on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan," Sayfullo Kodirzoda said, adding that 12 projects in the transport sector for a total amount of $1 billion 55 million are currently being implemented in Tajikistan. Their implementation contributes to the further development of the economy of our country. The priority projects are the construction of the Kalai-Khumb-Vanch highway, as well as the implementation of the first and second Obigarm-Nurobod projects, which play a key role in ensuring the attractiveness of the country's transit potential.

For the development of the transport sector, by the end of this year, the Ministry of Transport plans to launch a number of projects that have already passed the state examination and are ready for implementation. In particular, the project for the construction of the Guliston-Farkhor-Nizhny Panj-Dusti highway, the Dangara-Guliston highway project, and the Guliston-Kulyab highway project will be launched.

These are the positive statistics and data on the development of the transport industry, but there are also issues that have their own solution. The implementation of the Program for the Development of the Logistics System of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2023-2028 will help solve the problem of creating logistics centers in the country, the Center for Digitalization of the Transport Industry will improve the digitalization of the transport industry. In addition, the fleet of rolling stock, including refrigerated vehicles, is gradually being updated.