On the morning of May 5, after a ceremonial event at the Tashkent Central (Northern) Station, the train set off on its maiden voyage. The ceremony was attended by Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, First Deputy Chairman of UTY, the Ambassador of South Korea to Uzbekistan Won Do-yeon, and a delegation from the manufacturer Hyundai Rotem.
The new train can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h and covers the 1022 km distance from Tashkent to Khiva in 7.5 hours. This is nearly twice as fast as existing high-speed trains.
Consisting of seven cars and measuring 175 meters in length, the train is designed for 389 passengers. It is fully adapted to Uzbekistan's climatic conditions and can operate in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C. It also has a protection system against dust storms.
The seats on the train can be rotated depending on the direction of travel. The cars are equipped with video surveillance cameras and special screens showing the speed and route map.
The train runs three times a week and makes stops in Samarkand, Bukhara, and Urgench.
Schedule:
— Departure from Tashkent: 07:00, arrival in Khiva: 14:31 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
— Departure from Khiva: 07:20, arrival in Tashkent: 14:51 (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)
We recall that in mid-March, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev traveled from Samarkand to the Narpi district on this same new train.
