Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line

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Tashkent–Samarkand High speed Railway
Talgo 250 Afrosiyob 05-06, Bukhara station.jpg
Afrosiyob high-speed train
Overview
StatusPassenger service
OwnerUzbekistan Railways
TerminiTashkent Railway Station, Tashkent
Samarkand Railway Station, Samarkand
Service
TypeHigh-speed railway
SystemUzbekistan Railways
Operator(s)Uzbekistan Railways
Rolling stockTalgo 250
History
Opened8 October 2011
Technical
Line length344 km (214 mi)
CharacterPassenger
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Operating speed250 km/h

The Tashkent to Samarkand high-speed rail line is a 344-kilometre (214 mi) high-speed rail connection between Tashkent and Samarkand, the two largest Uzbekistan cities. The route passes through four regions: Tashkent, Sirdaryo, Jizzakh and Samarqand in Uzbekistan. Trains operate seven days a week under the brand Afrosiyob. A 141 km long extension to Qarshi started operation on 22 August 2015, though at lower speed of 160 km/h.[1] An extension to Bukhara on the Talgo 250 ran for the first time on 25 August 2016 — marking the completion of a project to modernise the 256 km route from Samarkand. Travel from Tashkent to Bukhara, a distance of 600 km, will now take 3 hours and 20 minutes instead of 7 hours.[2]

History[]

Tashkent Main Railway Station

Construction began on the line on 11 March 2011, with completion planned for later that year at a cost of approximately US$70 million.[3][4] The line includes both new and rebuilt trackage, as well as adding modern signaling systems to the route.[5] In addition to building trackage capable of supporting high-speed service, some track of lower standards was built to the cities of Bukhara and Khiva as part of the project.[4] The 344 kilometres (214 mi) high-speed line is capable of speeds up to 250 km/h (160 mph), with a total travel time between Tashkent and Samarkand of about two hours.[5] The line was planned to open for commercial operation in September 2011,[6] but suffered from delays.[7]

Operation[]

Inside Afrosiyob train

Two trainsets for operation on the line were ordered in November 2009 from Talgo at a cost of €38 million[4][8] The cost of the purchase was split between operator O'zbekiston Temir Yo'llari and a loan from the state Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan.[5] The first trainset, a Talgo 250, was delivered to Tashkent on 22 July 2011.[8][9] Each trainset consists of two power cars, eight passenger cars with a capacity of 257 people and a dining car.[8] The second trainset arrived in Tashkent on 9 December 2011.[10] The train carried out its first trip from Tashkent to Samarkand on 26 August 2011.[11][12]

Two more Talgo 250 trainsets were constructed for Afrosiyob services in 2017.[13]

Commercial service started on 8 October 2011 twice a week under the brand Afrosiyob.[14][15] Initially, total travel time was still more than two and half-hours[16] but services were upgraded to five times a week in January 2012,[17] and daily services started from 13 February 2012.[18] The travel time has been reduced to 2:08 hours as of 10 February 2013.[19]

Further extensions[]

The high-speed rail line is expected to be extended until Khiva by Urgench in order to complete the Uzbek silk road. A new station has opened in December 2018 in Khiva and was connected with a 30 kilometers railroad to Urgench. The connection between Bukhara and Urgench is expected to be completed in 2021.[20]

Routes[]

Routes as of 31 August 2019:

References[]

  1. ^ "Запущена еще одна высокоскоростная линия Ташкент–Карши: путь займет всего 3 часа".
  2. ^ Talgo 250 reaches Bukhara Railway Gazette International 26 August 2016
  3. ^ "Uzbekistan begins construction on high-speed railway". Central Asia Newswire. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Uzbekistan's high-speed rail plans face logistics challenges". Central Asia Newswire. 22 October 2010. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent". Uzbekistan Daily. 24 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Uzbekistan receives first high-speed train from Spain". Railway Insider. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  7. ^ Uzbekistan's high-speed trains said to lack suitable tracks
  8. ^ a b c "Talgo 250 arrives in Toshkent". Railway Gazette International. 26 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  9. ^ First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent, 24 July 2011
  10. ^ "Второй электропоезд Afrosiyob прибыл в Ташкент (фото)" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. 10 December 2011.
  11. ^ Uzdaily: First high-speed electricity train carries out first trip from Samarkand and Tashkent, 27 August 2011
  12. ^ Uzbekistan Launches High Speed Tashkent-Smarkand Rail Line, September 08 2011
  13. ^ "Talgo 250 — List of the vehicles".
  14. ^ ГАЖК «Ўзбекистон темир йўллари», ОАО «Узжелдоропасс» оъявляет, что началась продажа проездных документов на высокоскоростной поезд «Afrosiyob»
  15. ^ High-speed Afrosiyob train starts to run between Tashkent and Samarkand, 6 October 2011
  16. ^ Uzbekistan Today: 2.5 Hours to Samarqand
  17. ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run five times a week. UzDaily.com. 24 January 2012
  18. ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run seven times a week. UzDaily.com. 13 February 2012
  19. ^ "Поездка в Самарканд на поезде Afrosiyob теперь занимает два часа" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. 12 February 2013.
  20. ^ Uzbekistan orders more Talgo 250 trainsets Railway Gazette International 3 June 2019

External links[]

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