Škoda to launch railway production in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is becoming an important partner for the major Czech engineering company, Škoda Group. The company has announced plans to establish a manufacturing enterprise in Uzbekistan for the assembly of railway transport.

This decision was made as part of Škoda Group’s long-term strategy focused on tapping into the promising market of Central Asia. The new enterprise will operate as a subsidiary of Škoda Group in Uzbekistan and will not be limited to assembly processes only.

It will also provide comprehensive technical maintenance for rolling stock throughout the entire period of operation. Furthermore, within the framework of the project, one of the key tasks will be to train and improve the qualifications of local specialists through the specially established “Škoda Academy.”

According to Škoda Group CEO Petr Novotny, the Central Asian region has long been one of the priority directions in the company’s business strategy. He stated that high-level dialogues between Uzbekistan’s leadership and European business leaders have confirmed that European technologies can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the country’s transport infrastructure.

This project stems from agreements reached at a meeting held in Brussels. The meeting was attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and representatives of leading European companies, including Petr Novotny.

The negotiations confirmed mutual interest in further deepening bilateral cooperation. At the same time, this is not the first large-scale project for the Škoda brand in Uzbekistan.

In 2020, an agreement on cooperation was signed between “Uzavtosanoat” and the “Volkswagen Group Rus” concern. This agreement laid the foundation for the organization of production of Volkswagen and Škoda vehicles at the Jizzakh automobile plant.

Subsequently, former Škoda Auto chairman Thomas Schäfer also expressed the intention to expand the range of models produced in Uzbekistan. The new railway sector project is considered a logical continuation of the existing cooperation.

Earlier, a €320 million contract for the delivery of 30 Škoda Group electric trains for the needs of “Uzbekistan Railways” was signed. Read “Zamin” on Telegram!