photo: Koshekans - TrainPix / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons/Talgo 250 Afrosiyob at Bukhara railway station, Uzbekistan
Spanish train manufacturer Talgo has signed a ten-year maintenance contract worth nearly €80 million with Uzbekistan Temir Yollari (UTY), covering the country’s fleet of six Talgo 250 high-speed trains.
The agreement covers comprehensive maintenance of Uzbekistan’s entire fleet of six Talgo 250 high-speed trainsets, which operate Afrosiyob-branded services linking Tashkent with Samarkand, Bukhara, and Karshi. According to Talgo, the deal is its largest maintenance contract in Uzbekistan to date, following more than 15 years of successive service agreements.
A Long-Standing Partnership
Uzbekistan’s relationship with Talgo dates back to 2009, when the national railway operator Uzbekistan Railways (UTY) ordered its first two Talgo 250 trainsets. These entered commercial service in 2011, marking the launch of Central Asia’s first high-speed rail operation.
The fleet has expanded in phases. Two additional 11-car trainsets entered service in 2017, followed by two more units in 2021, alongside extra coaches to standardise train length across the fleet. Today, all six Talgo 250 sets operate on 1,520 mm broad gauge, eliminating the need for gauge-changing equipment required on similar trains in Spain. Although designed for speeds of up to 275 km/h, the trains run at a maximum commercial speed of 230 km/h on Uzbekistan’s network. They feature Talgo’s passive tilting technology, which allows for higher speeds through curves while maintaining passenger comfort.
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Talgo says the new contract will guarantee fleet availability and operational reliability for the next decade, consolidating its position as a strategic partner of UTY. Maintenance has become an increasingly important part of Talgo’s international business, particularly in markets where high-speed rail fleets are relatively small but operationally critical. For Uzbekistan, the agreement ensures long-term technical support for one of its most visible transport assets, while avoiding the disruption and cost of changing suppliers or maintenance regimes.
High-Speed Rail Beyond Talgo
Talgo’s renewed contract comes as Uzbekistan broadens its high-speed rail ecosystem beyond a single supplier. According to railway.uz, in late 2025, UTY officially opened a new maintenance workshop for high-speed electric trains supplied by Hyundai Rotem, built specifically to service the new Jaloliddin Manguberdi trainsets ordered from South Korea.
The upgraded maintenance centre, operational since 2018 and now significantly expanded, will from 2026 service both Talgo Afrosiyob trains and Hyundai Rotem units. The facility includes indoor 25 kV overhead lines, advanced diagnostics, real-time dispatch monitoring, and solar power installations supplying a substantial share of its electricity needs.
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Uzbekistan has ordered six Hyundai Rotem high-speed trains, doubling the country’s high-speed fleet to 12 units. The new trains are expected to enter service on long-distance routes such as Tashkent–Urgench–Khiva, covering more than 1,100 km in around seven hours.
A Regional Rail Hub in the Making
Uzbekistan is currently ranked among the 17 countries worldwide with developed high-speed rail systems, according to international assessments. The combination of Talgo’s long-established Afrosiyob services and Hyundai Rotem’s new-generation trains proves there's a deliberate strategy to diversify suppliers while strengthening domestic maintenance capabilities.
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