Škoda Secures $143.9 Mln Electric Train Contract With Uzbekistan
The Czech manufacturing giant Škoda Transportation has secured a contract to supply 10 electric trains to the Uzbek national railway network.
According to the news portal Idnes.cz the agreement is valued at 3 bn Czech koruna or roughly $143.9 mln. First Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček praised the lucrative export arrangement by describing it as the «deal of the past two decades».
The rail agreement was officially formalised during Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš‘s recent diplomatic tour of the republic. Speaking anonymously to Idnes.cz a member of the accompanying business delegation revealed that the final outcome remained highly uncertain until the very last moment.
However Škoda Transportation CEO Petr Novotný confirmed that the Prime Minister’s direct involvement and presence in Tashkent significantly accelerated the complex talks and helped push the final signatures over the line.
Local maintenance
The contract extends beyond the delivery of new rolling stock. The agreement outlines plans to establish a dedicated service facility directly within Uzbekistan. Škoda is committed to facilitating a comprehensive technology transfer and training local specialists so that the new fleet can eventually be maintained and serviced entirely by domestic engineers.
This transport milestone sits within a much broader framework of rapidly expanding bilateral relations. The rail contract follows Prime Minister Babiš’s signing of a formal declaration with Tashkent to promote enhanced strategic cooperation focusing heavily on shared economic and industrial growth.
