Train in Turkmenistan Q&A

[steven]

Your questions and updates about trains in Turkmenistan are welcome below.

Do not forget to read the trains in Turkmenistan guide first!

[Etronplus]

I just went in Turkmenistan on a 5 day transit visa and took the train 2 times. I also did not find any accurate timetable on the web (Turkmen rail website or fahrplan) so I wrote down the timetable that I have seen in Ashgabat and Turkmenabat.

On Thursday (important because I have no idea if those trains are all daily) 3rd of November 2016 :

Ashgabat to Turkmenabat

No 95 / 15:00 - 2:54
No 3 / 18:20 - 7:00
No 611 / 9:30 - 23:40
No 11 / 16:50 - 5:14

Turkmenabat to Ashgabat

No 96 / 16:15 - 4:33
No 4 / 18:40 - 6:48
No 612 / 1:00 - 15:35
No 12 / 17:43 - 5:55

Turkmenabat to Mary

No 6426 / 13:50 - ??? But should be around 7h

Ashgabat to Dasoguz

No 94 / 19:30 - ???
No 14 / 12:50 - ???

Sorry this is not complete but it is what I could understand and put together. So there are more trains than what is written on the "trains in Turkmenistan" page and it would be nice to get more information about this subject.

Cheers.

PS: I found those trains clean and a very nice way to transit through this country.

[Atom Heart Mother]

Hello we just took the train from Ashgabat to Dasoguz.
We paid around 40 manats per persons for a 4 beds cabin, very clean.
It started at 7.30pm and we reached Dasoguz at 10am in the next morning.
We were able to put our bikes in the train in the special luggage wagon for 15 or 20 manats per bike.
I can not confirm if the train stopped in Darwaza as we were sleeping.

[seysearles]

Does anyone know if its easy to show up at the train station and buy tickets for a sleeper cabin?

[steven]

I can only speak from my own experience.

Went to the ticket office in the morning in Turkmenbashi to buy a ticket for the night train to Ashgabat.
System was not working - come back in a few hours.
Came back in a few hours. Waited another hour, finally bought a ticket. I think everybody who wanted to get one, got one in the end, but kupe seats sold out.

https://caravanistan.com/transport/train/turkmenistan/

[Joa]

Trains from Serakhs
I have found some info regarding train connections from Serakhs. On this website http://www.tourstoturkmenistan.com/en/t ... rains.html
it mentions 2 trains a week from Serakhs to Ashgabad whereas the official website of the turkmeni railway doesn't mention Serakhs at all. Can anyone confirm if the train really exists? Also any idea if there is one from Serakhs to Mary and if not if the trains from Ashgabad to Turkmenabadt stop in Tejen.

Thank you.

[Milad]

I found no information on the web on a passenger train to Serakhs. However, I found an image that allegedly shows the train station of Serakhs, and you can see a few passenger cars as well: http://www.turkmenbusiness.org/news/vre ... -18-chasov

My conclusion is that there at least was passenger traffic to Serakhs at some point. As it doesn't show up on the Turkmen Railways website, I'd assume it's not running anymore. You can of course turn up at the station and ask. You can also try asking by writing an E-Mail to the Turkmen Railways ([email protected]). Your chances of getting an answer multiply by writing in Russian.

[Jealgu]

http://bicicladi.com/en/blog/2018/02/27 ... istan-eng/

See this link, it mentions a weekly train from mary to sarakhs. I happen to know that at that time the Turkmen railway website didnt mention Sarakhs ass well as I was doing some planning for my trip on the silk road. I might try to take a train to Sarakhs when in Turkmenistan. I will only be there in october or november, so if anyone has some information before that time I would be happy to hear.

[Jealgu]

I have a very basic question. Is it possible to buy a train ticket one day beforehand? I have not yet found an answer to this question. For me it is interest8mg to know as it might affect tolhe border I want to cross

[Milad]

If there are places left, up to a few minutes before departure. That might be the problem though, as trains can sell out. From outside Turkmenistan, you might be able to buy tickets through an agency with a high surcharge, I have heard that there is at least one selling train tickets, but I don't know any details. If all else fails, bribing the provodnik will be easy, although maybe not cheap for (especially non-Russian speaking) foreigners.