Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line

Tashkent – Samarkand High speed Railway
Afrosiyob high-speed train
Overview
Type	High-speed railway
System	Uzbekistan Railways
Status	passenger service
Termini	Tashkent Railway Station, Tashkent Samarkand Railway Station, Samarkand
Operation
Opened	8 October 2011
Owner	Uzbekistan Railways
Operator(s)	Uzbekistan Railways
Character	Passenger
Rolling stock	Talgo 250
Technical
Line length	344 km (214 mi)
Track gauge	1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Operating speed	various

The Tashkent to Samarkand high-speed rail line is a 344-kilometre (214 mi) high-speed rail connection between Tashkent and Samarkand, the two largest Uzbek cities. The route passes through four provinces: Tashkent, Sirdaryo, Jizzakh and Samarqand in Uzbekistan. Trains operate seven days a week under the brand Afrosiyob.

History

Tashkent Main Railway Station

Construction began on the line on 11 March 2011, with completion planned for later that year at a cost of approximately US$70 million. The line includes both new and rebuilt trackage, as well as adding modern signaling systems to the route. In addition to building trackage capable of supporting high-speed service, some track of lower standards was built to the cities of Bukhara and Khiva as part of the project. The 344 kilometres (214 mi) high-speed line is capable of speeds up to 250 km/h (160 mph), with a total travel time between Tashkent and Samarkand of about two hours. The line was planned to open for commercial operation in September 2011, but suffered from delays.

Operation

Inside Afrosiyob train

Two trainsets for operation on the line were ordered in November 2009 from Talgo at a cost of €38 million The cost of the purchase was split between operator O'zbekiston Temir Yo'llari and a loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan. The first trainset, a Talgo 250, was delivered to Tashkent on 22 July 2011. Each trainset consists of two power cars, eight passenger cars with a capacity of 257 people and a dining car. The second trainset arrived in Tashkent on 9 December 2011. The train carried out its first trip from Tashkent to Samarkand on 26 August 2011.

Commercial service started on 8 October 2011 twice a week under the brand Afrosiyob. Initially, total travel time was still more than two and half-hours but services were upgraded to five times a week in January 2012, and daily services started from 13 February 2012. The travel time has been reduced to 2:08 hours on 10 February 2013.

External links

• Uzbekistan Railways

• Uzbekistan’s high-speed trains said to lack suitable tracks
• First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent, 24 July 2011
• Uzdaily: First high-speed electricity train carries out first trip from Samarkand and Tashkent, 27 August 2011
• Uzbekistan Launches High Speed Tashkent-Smarkand Rail Line, September 08 2011
• ГАЖК «Ўзбекистон темир йўллари», ОАО «Узжелдоропасс» оъявляет, что началась продажа проездных документов на высокоскоростной поезд «Afrosiyob»
• High-speed Afrosiyob train starts to run between Tashkent and Samarkand, 6 October 2011
• Uzbekistan Today: 2.5 Hours to Samarqand
• High-speed train Afrosiyob to run five times a week. UzDaily.com. 24 January 2012
• High-speed train Afrosiyob to run seven times a week. UzDaily.com. 13 February 2012