Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line
Tashkent–Samarkand High speed Railway | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Passenger service |
Owner | Uzbekistan Railways |
Termini | Tashkent Railway Station, Tashkent Samarkand Railway Station, Samarkand |
Service | |
Type | High-speed railway |
System | Uzbekistan Railways |
Operator(s) | Uzbekistan Railways |
Rolling stock | Talgo 250 |
History | |
Opened | 8 October 2011 |
Technical | |
Line length | 344 km (214 mi) |
Character | Passenger |
Track gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge |
Operating speed | 250 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[]
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[]
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[]
- ^ "Запущена еще одна высокоскоростная линия Ташкент–Карши: путь займет всего 3 часа".
- ^ Talgo 250 reaches Bukhara Railway Gazette International 26 August 2016
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Uzbekistan receives first high-speed train from Spain". Railway Insider. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ Uzbekistan's high-speed trains said to lack suitable tracks
- ^ 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.
- ^ First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent, 24 July 2011
- ^ "Второй электропоезд Afrosiyob прибыл в Ташкент (фото)" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. 10 December 2011.
- ^ Uzdaily: First high-speed electricity train carries out first trip from Samarkand and Tashkent, 27 August 2011
- ^ Uzbekistan Launches High Speed Tashkent-Smarkand Rail Line, September 08 2011
- ^ "Talgo 250 — List of the vehicles".
- ^ ГАЖК «Ўзбекистон темир йўллари», ОАО «Узжелдоропасс» оъявляет, что началась продажа проездных документов на высокоскоростной поезд «Afrosiyob»
- ^ High-speed Afrosiyob train starts to run between Tashkent and Samarkand, 6 October 2011
- ^ Uzbekistan Today: 2.5 Hours to Samarqand
- ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run five times a week. UzDaily.com. 24 January 2012
- ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run seven times a week. UzDaily.com. 13 February 2012
- ^ "Поездка в Самарканд на поезде Afrosiyob теперь занимает два часа" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. 12 February 2013.
- ^ Uzbekistan orders more Talgo 250 trainsets Railway Gazette International 3 June 2019
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afrosiyob. |
- High-speed railway lines in Uzbekistan
- Railway lines in Uzbekistan
- Railway lines opened in 2011
- 2011 establishments in Uzbekistan