Khiva Train Q&A

[ifshefallinlove]

Greeting!

Until recently, I knew there were no direct trains from Bukhara to Nukus or Urgench. I knew using the train leaving Navoi was the only way to travel.
But recently, a train schedule from Uzbekistan's Railways found that a train from Bukhara to Nukus was operating early Wednesday.
The train leaving Bukhara at 01:48 a.m. has a route through the Miskin-Turgul-Elikala-Kazaozek to arrive at Nukus at 11:40 a.m.
There passing through some Turkmenistan for a while...(Please check the image file) So, I'd like to know if I need a tourist visa through Turkmenistan to use this train? anyone has tried this train No. 054 please share information.

I am sorry that my English is not perfect. Thank you for your interest!

[bwv812]

Your picture just has straight lines between the stops, not where the actual train track is.

https://caravanistan.com/transport/train/uzbekistan/
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4499

[Milad]

The Uzbeks opened the line Bukhara-Urgench a few months ago, so there is now quite a number of trains, not just 54. The route shown on your image is just the bee line between stations, the actual line does not pass through Turkmenistan, so you won't need any kind of Turkmen visa.

[ifshefallinlove]

Thank you Mr. bwv812! Thank you Mr. Milad!
I am now able to finish my journey with confidence. Thank you very much for your advice!
1more Q. What time is the Tashkent train station ticket office Close? Can I buy a train ticket even if I visit you at 11 p.m.?

[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...