Bishkek to Shymkent by train?

[Scribetrotter]

I understand I can take the Moscow train from Bishkek and get off at Shymkent (and then find a ride to Tashkent).

- Can I buy my train ticket in Bishkek? Where and when? (I understand you can only buy them online if you have a Central Asian credit card)
- Can you point me towards a reliable schedule for this train?

I leave for Kyrgyzstan in two days... thank you for any info!

[steven]

Bishkek train station is the easiest way. Otherwise, contact a big tour operator like kyrgyz concept if you want it in advance. I don't think it is already possible to buy Kyrgyz train tickets online, although you can give tickets.kz a go (don't need a CIS bank card for that one), as well as rzd.ru.

Besides rzd.ru, Oebb.at has central asian train schedules, as does poezda.net and perhaps tickets.kz. Otherwise calling bishkek train station or tour operator is best for schedule.

[Provodnik]

Pls. consider that when buying train tickets from www.rzd.ru for trains which do not offer "electronic registration", you have to exhcange your booking confirmation to a "real" paper train ticket before the trip. This is only possible at ticket offices or ticket machines at train stations inside Russia.
The international train Bishkek - Moscow doesn't work with electronic registration, so booking from rzd.ru makes only sense, if you happen to be in Russia before to pick up the ticket.

[irishmcbride]

Pls. consider that when buying train tickets from http://www.rzd.ru for trains which do not offer "electronic registration", you have to exhcange your booking confirmation to a "real" paper train ticket before the trip. This is only possible at ticket offices or ticket machines at train stations inside Russia.

I can vouch for this, I got burned by this in Minsk, Belarus a few years ago.