This is interesting on two fronts.
1. It shows that this once stark land reminiscent of Marco Polo is aggressively moving into the 21st Century by upgrading infrastructure. On the freight side, this country provides a major rail supply route for allied forces in Afghanistan, which is planning its own railway system.
2. The article is not clear about track gauges. Uzbek railways are Russian (4 feet 11 5/8 inches). China and Iran are standard gauge (4 feet 8.5 inches), and Pakistan is 5 feet six inches.
Hmmmmmm.
Sloan