What To Know Before Travelling On Uzbekistan’s Trains

Train travel is the main way to get around Uzbekistan. With a good network connecting all the major tourist sites, it makes sense to take the train.

But know that taking a train in Uzbekistan is a fantastic experience, especially if you aren’t used to taking long distance trains in your own country.

For a first timer to Uzbekistan, there are some things that you may find useful before taking your first jolt across the country so I’ve made this guide to train travel in Uzbekistan as it is all the info I wish I had before I went!

Booking trains

The easiest way to book trains is on the Uzbek Railways website. The website is here. It is easy to search for the city you want and the times the trains will depart with most tourist friendly destinations having multiple departures per day.

I had trouble trying to actually book the trains I wanted to on that website for some reason. I booked my trains on 12go.com and they offered the same trains at the same times but was a lot easier to book and pay for.

I had used the website previously in Malaysia so I know they are legit and I had a great experience with them. Click here for the website.

It is recommended to book the trains as far in advance as you can, especially is you are travelling in the peak seasons, May to June and September to October. I travelled in September and I could still book train tickets but if there were 10 trains per day, for example, only 2-3 were available when I tried to book them a few days before. This is the only reason that I took a first class train (more on that below).

Click below to find train times and book tickets

At the station

The first thing you’ll notice at all train stations in Uzbekistan is that they are all styles the same with the city name spelled out in Uzbek in the same blue font on the top of each main building.

There will be security before you go into the station. This is common across Uzbekistan and you have to put all your bags through airport style X-ray machines, remove items from your pockets and then go through a metal detector yourself. They never seem that thorough.

There also never seemed to be a departure board (except at Tashkent Station) or announcements so make sure you’re aware for when your train arrives and departs and if there was, it was in Uzbek only.

Some stations are quite well equipped with Bukhara station having quite a few shops, a restaurant and a few coffee stands. Margilon on the other hand, had a corner that was selling snacks and bottles of water. In Samarkand station I bought a sim card that worked surprisingly well and had the fastest internet speeds I had in Uzbekistan and allowed me to work remotely. It also had the largest variety of coffee shops and souvenir shops.

It is recommended to get to the station at least 30 minutes before your train, but some tickets recommend an hour. Definitely treat this as closer to an airport experience than a train experience.

On the trains

There are two different types of trains in Uzbekistan: the Sharq and Afrosiyob.

The Afrosiyob trains are the Uzbek equivalent of high speed trains, although don’t expect them to rush along like the Japanese bullet trains. They have the pointed noses but don’t travel anywhere near as fast.

These are in two classes and look like traditional trains with plain seating but with plenty of legroom and a large tray table. They are normally used for shorter distance trips, for example, I took one from Samarkand to Tashkent which was just over 2 hours.

Afrosiyob second class

In second class the seats have good leg room, chargers in the form of a power outlet between the seats, a small bin between the seats and a large tray table that folds down in front of you. The seats are very spacious and I had plenty of leg room. You get far more legroom than if you were flying!

There are large luggage storage racks at the end of each carriage, although if you have a backpack, it is better to put it on the racks above your seat. My 65L duffle bag fit above my seat!

Staff come around offering food and drinks to purchase and the ice cream and fruit I had was very nice!

Overall, these are fast, efficient and comfy ways to travel by train in Uzbekistan.

Afrosiyob first class

In first class the seats are a lot larger and comfier with them being in pairs or singles on the other side of the aisle. All seats had a table and I had so much space I probably could have got my laptop out and watched a film or done some work.

I also got a breakfast included with the crew coming around and offering it proactively. The service was very good. The price was about double what a second class ticket would cost, but as I booked it last minute and the only alternative was a 1am train, I found it affordable for what I got.

Sharq trains

The sharq trains are the slower, boxier Soviet style trains that travel the long distances across Uzbekistan. I took this style of train from the Fergana Valley to Khiva on a 20 hour marathon.

These are the trains you will get if you take a sleeper train (and experience that everyone should experience at least once!).

These have a few classes as well and I only sat in third class. These are open plan bunk beds with a small table between them.

You get given some sheets and small towels in a plastic packet that need to be packed away and returned before you get off.

There are also guys that walk up and down semi regularly selling drinks, bread, samsa and occasionally shashlik.

There is one socket under each table but if you do have a sleeper train, bring a power bank to charge your electronics! There also isn’t any air conditioning on these trains and most of the country is far to dusty to have the windows open so the conductor makes sure they remain closed. If travelling in peak summer, this is a bit of an issue. I was very sweaty.

Click below to find train times and book tickets

Other things to know about train travel in Uzbekistan

The afrosiyob has wifi although I couldn’t get it to work as I think you need a local sim card. The sharq trains do not. As Uzbekistan is a vast country, there are many places that don’t have signal (e.g. going through the desert from Khiva to Bukhara) so I recommend you take a book or something to do that doesn’t need you to be connected.

Most sleeper trains I’ve been on in other countries have been relatively social affairs with people sharing food and talking to strangers, but I didn’t get this experience on the two sleeper trains I was on. Considering how friendly I found the rest of the Uzbek people I met on my travels, I found this weird. I’m not sure if this was a cultural thing or I just got unlucky.

Many people don’t speak English in Uzbekistan, so if you have a few words of Russian so you can buy some water or food from the guys selling it as they walk up and down the train. Even on my first class trip between Samarkand and Tashkent, probably the most heavily touristed route in the country, the attendant didn’t have much English.

As mentioned, the sharq trains don’t have air conditioning but the afrosiyob do. Plan accordingly…

Summing up train travel in Uzbekistan

Hopefully this guide to train travel in Uzbekistan has given you all the info you need for when you are travelling across the country to those Silk Road sites!

Travelling by train in Uzbekistan is the best way to travel as road distances can be long and flight schedules erratic. The sleeper trains are a fantastic travel experience but the afrosiyob trains are an efficient way of getting around the country in a speedy manor.