Khiva Train Q&A

[steven]

We summarize all info regarding trains to Khiva on the Uzbek train page.

Feel free to post all your questions, comments and reports below!

[Wilbur]

Does anybody know if or when scheduled services will start from Khiva's new train station and if so what the timetable of services is?

[Milad]

The latest News I found is an article from January 2018 according to which the new line Khiva-Urgench was nearly finished. Uzbek Railways say that they want to run Afrosiyob trains to Khiva, I think that that's not going to happen anytime soon as they'd need to electrificate the line Urgench-Bukhara, which would be expensive and of little practical use, as the Afrosiyob would be no faster than a normal train (from soviet times) here, as the line is not built for high speeds. Maybe, there will be an elektrishka from Urgench to Khiva once or twice a day, maybe there will be a few through cars Tashkent-Khiva, no idea yet, all information from Uzbek Railways PR department is unrealistic. It's also possible that they won't run any passenger trains there until Afrosiyob trains can run there, that would take a lot of time, several years at least.

[steven]

The inaugural train has run, but I have not found a schedule online yet

https://www.uzdaily.uz/articles-id-40609.htm

[Milad]

pass.rzd.ru has a schedule now, a night train consisting of a few through cars 4 times a week to Tashkent, travel time 17 hours. Stops in Bukhara in the late evening, Samarkand in the middle of the night.
To my surprise, this train has 4 classes (lyux, kupe, platskart, obshchi), I strongly recommend not to choose 4th class (obshichi), which has become quite uncommon and is essentially a platskart with more places being sold than beds exist and without bed linen, thought for sitting, not for sleeping.

[steven]

They’re running the diesel service on the line for now; the high speed service will start in late 2019 once they’ve finished electrifying the lines between Urgench and Bukhara, and the additional Talgo rolling stock on order has arrived.

[Milad]

They plan to electrificate Urgench-Bukhara within one year? Wow! Although I doubt that the state of the track will allow higher speeds than the current trains do have...

[steven]

They plan to electrificate Urgench-Bukhara within one year? Wow!

Well, let's see... this is the plan at least according to what I have been told.

[Milad]

Annother train to Khiva from Bukhara (Bukhara 12:05 - Khiva 17:50/Khiva 08:45 - Bukhara 14:48). Runs every other day (even days in the direction of Bukhara, odd days in the direction of Khiva), the train has three different classes, all seats, appears quite modern (no Afrosiyob though).

http://railway.uz/ru/informatsionnaya_s ... sti/13159/

[MaTian]

hi I was wondering about the train from Khiva to Bukhara - does it pass through Turkmenistan? My boyfriend is panicking that the trains are going through Turkmenistan and that we need a transit visa...