Train in Turkmenistan Q&A

[Jealgu]

Thanks, I mainly wanted to make sure that ticket sales do not just open the day of departure. Did not seem likely, but with the limited days on a transit visa I wantvto be sure.

[Milad]

I don't know for sure about Turkmenistan, but the international CIS standard is 45 days before (although Russian domestic trains and a few others are now bookable 60-90 days in advance). I don't think it's going to be much less than that.

[Adam Fitchett]

We've just been to Turkmenistan on a transit visa and taken two (three) trains (turkmenbashi to Ashgabat and Ashgabat to Dashoguz with a stopover in Darwaza)

Here is our experience:

- Bought tickets at lunchtime(office closes 1 to 2pm) for the Turkmenbashi to Ashgabat night train leaving at 330. It cost 45 manat each. Couldn't buy a ticket for our bikes. Turned up at 3pm,ushered to 'baggage cabin', told that the cabin doesn't exist, pay a guy $5 (could have been less) and squeezed the bikes on.

- Bought a ticket to Ichoguz (for Darwaza gas crater) at Ashgabat ticket office. 37 manat for two tickets... Told we could buy a ticket from Ichoguz to Dashoguz in Ichoguz. Train leaves at 420pm ish.

- got on the train at 4.told no baggage. Gave the guy 25 manat to squeeze into an empty compartment. Got off the train at 9pm in ichoguz. Cycled to gas crater.

-the next day we went to ichoguz train station around 4.it wasn't open so we couldn't buy a ticket. Waited until just after 9 for the train. Guys helped the bikes on. Gave him 50 manat. He wasn't worried that we didn't have a ticket. Made friends with them and drank whisky, tea and ate food. Arrived in Dashoguz at 5am.

What we learnt: Tickets were easy to buy on the day. The train does stop at the gas crater. You can get bikes on just offer some money they will find a way. You can probably get on at ichoguz without a ticket.

Hope this is helpful!

[jartai]

in the 2018 timetable there is a commuter train (prigorod poezd) 6424/6423 on mondays and fridays from Mary to Serakhs and back.
The train leaves Mary at 7.10 am, back from Serakhs in the afternoon on the same day. The train takes around 4..5 hours from Mary to Serakhs. Please check in Mary or Serakhs on the day before if the train is really going.

For Artyk you can take train 602 (23.10 from Mary) It stops in Artyk at 5 am or you can take any other train and get off in Kaka.

[togreiser]

Can you actually book train tickets online now? It looks like I can do that at http://www.railway.gov.tm . But its only in Turkmen and Russian, an google translate does not translate everything

It most be new right? Has anyone done it? Does it work with foreign credit cards?

Edit: And there is even an app?!

Edit 2: I get to choose ticket and seat, but the payment site fails to load. This happens both on the website and in the app. But the rest looks good. I used a fake Turkmenistan phone number

Edit 3: Could someone else please try to buy a ticket online? Just to check if you get the payment page to load. You don't have to finish the order....

Edit 4: I had some help my test, but had the same trouble as me. The payment site fails

[steenaa54]

Hej Togreiser.
Thanks for this link to Turkmen Railways. As I understand some Russian I found it very useful. But from Turkmenabat to Ashgabat there are no sleepers, only Kupe and Platzkart, so appearently its not complete as i am sure other have reported about sleepers… (?)

[togreiser]

Hej steenaa54,

As I understand it Kupe, are sleepers. Kupe: A separate, lockable compartment with 4 berths: 2 bottom bunks and 2 top bunks. https://caravanistan.com/transport/train/

But maybe you are looking for Spalnyý wagon with only 2 bunks ?

When I search Türkmenbaşy - Aşgabat I get Spalnyý wagon also, but not for Türkmenabat - Aşgabat

[steenaa54]

Hej Togreiser
Great, I did not check the meaning of Kupe, kkkkkk

Mange tak
Steen

[robert]

Apparently you need a Turkmen cell phone number to book a train online – there is a mandatory field for phone number with a fixed country code "+993".

Furthermore, it only offers Platzkart and Kupe, whereas on the counter we could buy tickets for Deluxe (2 beds per compartment).

Also, the timetable doesn't match the timetable at the station (which was correct, at least for the times our train ran). To me it seems they're off by 2h. Could it be that they show Moscow times? That could explain the 2h difference.

[thijsd]

in the 2018 timetable there is a commuter train (prigorod poezd) 6424/6423 on mondays and fridays from Mary to Serakhs and back.
The train leaves Mary at 7.10 am, back from Serakhs in the afternoon on the same day. The train takes around 4..5 hours from Mary to Serakhs.

We can confirm the train from Mary to Serakhs exists, since we took it on monday November 11th. We could not buy a ticket beforehand because there are not tickets. You just pay 10 manat on the train itself. The train leaves 7:10am and arrives 11:30am. It goes only on monday and another day (see picture). It's an old, beat-up vehicle but it does the job!