 This coal is mostly sent to Bishkek via the railway at Balykchy.The extension of that railway all the way to Karakeche was proposed in 2013 while other reports have suggested that the mines might be offered to China in return for the construction of a trans-Kyrgyzstan railway linking Andijan, Uzbekistan with Kashgar, China.The Kara-Keche mines were developed during the Soviet era, with first production in 1985.