China-Made Electric Trains to Link Khiva and Bukhara

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Modern Chinese-made CRRC-Dalian electric trains will begin operating between Khiva and Bukhara from 9 September, the press service of Uztemiryolovchi said.

The five-car train will accommodate 415 passengers in economy class.

Train No. 707 will depart Khiva for Bukhara-1 at 09:55 and arrive at its final station at 14:32. In the opposite direction, Train No. 706 will depart Bukhara at 15:45 and arrive in Khiva at 20:25.

Services from Khiva to Bukhara will operate on all days of the week except Tuesday. In the opposite direction, the train will run daily except Monday. The ticket price will be 270,800 soums.

The new electric trains will also operate on the Bukhara-Tashkent route. From 14 September, trains will run between the two cities on Mondays, while return services will operate on Tuesdays starting from 15 September. The journey between Bukhara and Tashkent will take about six hours.

The launch of the new trains will require changes to the schedules of several existing routes. The timetable for Train No. 56, Tashkent-Yuzhny-Khiva, will change from 8 September, while the schedule for Train No. 58, Tashkent-Yuzhny-Shavat, will change from 10 September. Changes to Train No. 127/128, Andijan-Kungrad, will take effect from 8 September.

From 15 September, the schedule of Train No. 301, Dushanbe-Tashkent, will also be adjusted, as will the Tuesday service of Train No. 6412, Tashkent-Yuzhny-Khavast. From 9 September, changes will affect Train No. 6353, Urgench-Nukus.

CRRC-Dalian electric trains are already in operation in Uzbekistan. Earlier, a train of the same type, the CR200J, began operating on the Urgench-Khiva route. It can reach speeds of up to 160 km/h and has a capacity of around 400 passengers.

The trains feature VIP, business and economy classes, as well as Wi-Fi, charging facilities for electronic devices, air-conditioning and heating systems, and facilities for passengers with disabilities.

Another Chinese electric train arrived in Andijan on 31 August and is currently undergoing testing.

Once it enters service, the train is expected to reduce the travel time between Tashkent and Andijan to three hours. The new train has an exterior design similar to the CR200J model.