THE SHORT ANSWER
Afrosiyob is the fast train: Tashkent–Samarkand in 2 h 13 min from 311,000 som, Tashkent–Bukhara in 4 h 06 min from 509,000. Sharq takes 3 h 09 min to Samarkand from 200,060 som; Khiva’s fast train is the Jaloliddin Manguberdi. Tickets sell on eticket.uzrailpass.uz up to 60 days ahead from 10:00 Tashkent time; October Afrosiyobs were full by late September.
Key facts
- Afrosiyob, Tashkent → Samarkand
- 2 h 13 min on the fastest trains (766: 07:30 → 09:43); economy 311,000 som, business 455,000Source ·
- Sales open
- No earlier than 60 days before the train leaves its first station, at 10:00 Tashkent time; the railway can set a later dateSource ·
- Boarding
- E-ticket (A4 printout, or phone where the checkpoint reads QR codes) and the passport used to book, at the station checkpoint 30 minutes before departureSource ·
More key facts9
- Afrosiyob, Tashkent → Bukhara
- 4 h 06 min (770: 08:30 → 12:36); economy 509,000 som, business 760,000Source ·
- Afrosiyob, Samarkand → Bukhara
- 1 h 37 min (770: 10:59 → 12:36); economy 225,000 som, business 195,500Source ·
- Afrosiyob tariff with VIP
- Economy / business / VIP from Tashkent: Samarkand 311,000 / 455,000 / 709,000 som; Qarshi 429,000 / 642,000 / 976,000; Bukhara 509,000 / 760,000 / 1,138,000; in force since 1 February 2026Source ·
- Sharq, Tashkent → Samarkand
- 3 h 09 min (710: 08:37 → 11:46; 712: 20:32 → 23:41); seats at 200,060, 300,560 or 566,450 som by classSource ·
- Jaloliddin Manguberdi, Tashkent → Khiva
- 7 h 42 min (752: 07:00 → 14:42), no train on Sundays; economy 780,000 som, business 1,006,000, VIP 1,815,000Source ·
- Night trains, Tashkent → Samarkand
- Platzkart berth 142,980 som, 4-berth kupe 188,820, 2-berth SV 320,060; common-car seat 90,390 on train 080Source ·
- On sale at 02:10 on 27 September
- Afrosiyob and Sharq seats up to 24 November 2026, 58 days ahead; night-train berths up to 25 NovemberSource ·
- Payment
- UZCARD, Humo, Visa, Mastercard, Mir, Maestro, JCB, American Express, UnionPay, Google Pay, Apple Pay; foreign cards pay the equivalent of a GBP amount in the card’s currencySource ·
- Returning a ticket
- More than 24 h before departure: 40,000 som agency fee + 15,000 som refund fee; 24–6 h: also half the seat part of the fare; under 6 h: all of it; no date changesSource ·
Which train: Afrosiyob, Sharq, Manguberdi or a night train
Afrosiyob is the fast train between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and the first to sell out. Sharq and Nasaf run the same line about an hour slower to Samarkand, from 200,060 som instead of 311,000. Afrosiyob does not go to Khiva: the fast train there is the Jaloliddin Manguberdi, which also calls at Samarkand and Bukhara. Night trains from Tashkent South cost least and turn the 7–14 hour legs to Bukhara and Khiva into a night in a berth.
Search by station, not by train name: the results for your date list all of these side by side, with free places and the lowest fare for each.
| Train | Where it runs | Fastest time | Classes | Fare from | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrosiyob (Talgo) | Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara and Tashkent–Samarkand–Qarshi; Shahrisabz on Sundays | Samarkand 2 h 13 min, Bukhara 4 h 06 min | Economy, business, VIP | 311,000 (Tashkent–Samarkand) | Speed matters and you book the day sales open |
| Sharq and Nasaf | Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara (Sharq 710, 712); Tashkent–Samarkand–Qarshi (Nasaf 716) | Samarkand 3 h 09 min, Bukhara 5 h 55 min | Three seated classes: 2В, 1С, 1В | 200,060 (Tashkent–Samarkand) | Afrosiyob is full, or you want the cheapest day train |
| Jaloliddin Manguberdi (752/751) | Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara–Urgench–Khiva; none from Tashkent on Sundays or from Khiva on Mondays | Khiva 7 h 42 min, Bukhara 3 h 54 min | Economy plus business or VIP | 780,000 (Tashkent–Khiva) | You travel to or from Khiva by day |
| Electric train 706/707 | Bukhara-1–Khiva only; no 706 on Mondays, no 707 on Tuesdays | 4 h 40 min | Economy | 270,800 | You leave Bukhara in the afternoon |
| Night and passenger trains | Tashkent South to Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Termez and Kungrad; some start in Andijan | Samarkand 3 h 46 min, Khiva 14 h 24 min | Common-car seat, platzkart, kupe, SV | 90,390 seat, 142,980 berth (Tashkent–Samarkand) | Lowest fare, or a berth instead of a hotel night |
Times and fares on the main legs
The table gives the fastest train and the lowest fares on each leg, from the booking search of 27 September 2026 for 18 and 25 November. The leg guides carry full timetables and the trains back.
Afrosiyob also serves two branches. Train 764 leaves Tashkent at 06:33 for Samarkand and Qarshi, where the tariff is 429,000 som in economy. On Sundays only, a train runs Tashkent 06:33, Samarkand 08:56, Shahrisabz 11:12, and back from Shahrisabz at 16:24 (search of 24 September 2026 for every date to 22 November); the day in town is in our Samarkand guide.
The railway advises at least 3 hours between two trains when you change. Trains to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are in the Central Asia planner; whole routes built on these legs are in the itineraries.
| Leg | Fastest train | Fast-train fares | Cheapest place | Leg guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkent → Samarkand | Afrosiyob 766, 07:30 → 09:43 (2 h 13 min) | Economy 311,000; business 455,000 | Common-car seat on train 080, 90,390; platzkart 142,980 | Tashkent to Samarkand |
| Tashkent → Bukhara | Manguberdi 752, 07:00 → 10:54 (3 h 54 min); Afrosiyob 770, 08:30 → 12:36 (4 h 06 min) | Afrosiyob economy 509,000; business 760,000 | Platzkart 177,990 (7 h 15 min to 7 h 53 min); Sharq 276,820 | Samarkand to Bukhara |
| Samarkand → Bukhara | Manguberdi 752, 09:23 → 10:54 (1 h 31 min); Afrosiyob 770, 10:59 → 12:36 (1 h 37 min) | Afrosiyob economy 225,000; business 195,500 | Platzkart 129,190; Sharq 169,810 | Samarkand to Bukhara |
| Tashkent → Khiva | Manguberdi 752, 07:00 → 14:42 (7 h 42 min) | Economy 780,000; business 1,006,000; VIP 1,815,000 | Platzkart on night train 056, 245,140 (21:45 → 12:09) | Tashkent to Khiva |
| Bukhara → Khiva | Manguberdi 752, 11:14 → 14:42 (3 h 28 min) | Manguberdi economy 332,000 | Train 706, 270,800 (15:45 → 20:25); platzkart 157,100 | Bukhara to Khiva |
Classes and what they cost
All classes on one train arrive together: an upgrade buys space, not time. Every seated class on Afrosiyob, Sharq and Nasaf is air-conditioned. The booking site shows class codes. On Afrosiyob, 2Е is economy and 1С business; VIP (1В) did not appear on sale for any Afrosiyob date searched between 29 September and 24 November. Sharq and Nasaf sell three seated classes, 2В, 1С and 1В.
Compare both classes on short legs: on Samarkand → Bukhara, Afrosiyob business cost 195,500 som against 225,000 in economy on 18 November.
Night trains sell four kinds of place. A common-car seat has no berth. Platzkart is an open car of 9 bays with 6 berths each and no doors. Kupe has 4-berth compartments; SV has 2 lower berths per compartment. Bedding is included in every sleeper fare. Platzkart and the 2К and 2Л kupe classes have ventilation but no air-conditioning, which you feel on a summer night; 2У kupe and SV are air-conditioned. In the VIP soft cars (classes 1A, 1M and 1N) you pay for the whole compartment, for 1 or 2 people.
| Class and code | Trains | Place | Air-conditioning | Tashkent → Samarkand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy (2Е) | Afrosiyob | Seat | Yes | 311,000 |
| Business (1С) | Afrosiyob | Seat | Yes | 455,000 |
| VIP (1В) | Afrosiyob | Seat | Yes | 709,000 |
| 2В | Sharq, Nasaf | Seat | Yes | 200,060 |
| 1С | Sharq, Nasaf | Seat | Yes | 300,560 |
| 1В | Sharq, Nasaf | Seat | Yes | 566,450 |
| Common car (3О) | Night train 080 | Seat, no berth | No, ventilation | 90,390 |
| Platzkart (3П) | Night trains | Berth in an open car | No, ventilation | 142,980 |
| Kupe (2К) | Night trains | Berth in a 4-berth compartment | No | 188,820 |
| SV (1Л) | Night trains | Berth in a 2-berth compartment | Yes | 320,060 |
How to buy train tickets on eticket.uzrailpass.uz
Tickets sell on eticket.uzrailpass.uz, in the railway’s Uzrailway Tickets app and at station ticket offices, all from the same Express-3 seat system; the old address eticket.railway.uz forwards to the new site. You can search without an account, but you sign in before choosing a carriage.
Sales open no earlier than 60 days before the train leaves its first station, at 10:00 Tashkent time, and the railway can set a later date. Day trains lagged a day behind night trains: at 02:10 on 27 September 2026, Afrosiyob and Sharq seats were on sale up to 24 November and night-train berths up to 25 November. Count 60 days back from your travel date, search at 10:00 that morning, and again at 10:00 the next day if the day trains still show no seats. Book the leg with the least flexible date first; holiday dates such as Navruz fill fastest, see when to go.
Online sales close 5 minutes before departure for trains within Uzbekistan and 1 hour before the first departure for international trains; every night from 02:30 to 03:00 the system stops selling. The site takes the local UZCARD and Humo cards and international Visa, Mastercard, Mir, Maestro, JCB, American Express and UnionPay cards, plus Google Pay and Apple Pay.
- 1
Search by station and date
Pick both stations from the drop-down list, then the date. Tashkent covers both city stations. Each result shows times, the train’s route, free places and the lowest fare; ‘Мест нет’ (no seats) means sold out or not yet on sale.
- 2
Pick the train, then sign in
Choosing a train takes you to sign-in. Create an account and keep the password: the same login downloads and returns your tickets. One order takes up to 4 passengers; places in different carriages need separate orders.
- 3
Enter each passport
Type names and the passport number exactly as in the document, in Latin letters if the passport has two scripts. Fix mistakes before paying: a wrong document number makes the ticket invalid for boarding.
- 4
Pay within 10 minutes
After 10 minutes the order is cancelled. Foreign cards are charged in your own currency as the equivalent of a sterling (GBP) amount, with your bank’s 3-D Secure code; any processing fee shows before you confirm. Cards issued in Russia: see the money guide.
- 5
Download the e-ticket
Each ticket gets a 14-digit number and a PDF in your account. Save it on your phone for offline use and print it on A4.
- 6
Board with ticket and passport
Show both at the station checkpoint at least 30 minutes before departure; a phone screen works where the checkpoint reads QR codes. The conductor checks them again at the carriage door.
When Afrosiyob shows no seats
Afrosiyob sells out weeks ahead; Sharq and the night trains rarely do. The railway puts quick sell-outs down to holiday and weekend demand. The table shows what the search offered from Tashkent to Samarkand on 27 September 2026.
A train marked ‘no seats’ is either full or not yet on sale, and the list does not say which. When every day train shows no seats but the night trains have berths, the date has not opened for day trains. Trains 764 and 772 never showed Samarkand seats on any date searched; on 18 November train 772 still had 116 seats Tashkent → Bukhara. Seats come back when unpaid orders lapse after 10 minutes and when people return tickets, which they can do online until 1 hour before the train leaves its first station. No published rule releases held seats 72 hours before departure.
| Travel date | Afrosiyob | Sharq and Nasaf | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 29 September | 0 of 6 trains | 3 of 3 (176 seats) | Afrosiyob full |
| Sat 3 October | 0 of 6 | 1 of 3 (8 seats) | Weekend: nearly everything full |
| Wed 21 October | 0 of 5 | 3 of 3 (564 seats) | Afrosiyob full |
| Wed 28 October | 0 of 5 | 3 of 3 (576 seats) | Afrosiyob full |
| Wed 4 November | 3 of 5 (69 seats) | 3 of 3 (731 seats) | Last Afrosiyob seats: 7 on train 770 |
| Wed 18 November | 3 of 5 (248 seats) | 3 of 3 (797 seats) | Open |
| Tue 24 November | 3 of 5 (297 seats) | 3 of 3 (642 seats) | Open, 58 days ahead |
| Wed 25 November | 0 of 5 | 0 of 3 | Day trains not on sale yet; night trains had 980 berths |
- Take Sharq or Nasaf: about an hour slower to Samarkand, for 200,060 som instead of 311,000. The evening Sharq 712 had 216 to 386 free seats on every date from 21 October to 24 November.
- Take a night train from Tashkent South, move a day, or reverse the order of cities.
- Search again after 10:00 on the following days: returned tickets and lapsed orders go back on sale.
- A station ticket office sells from the same seat system, so it sees the same seats.
Stations: Tashkent Central or South, Bukhara-1 and Khiva
Tashkent Central and Tashkent South are different stations. Afrosiyob, Sharq, Nasaf and the Manguberdi leave from Central; the night trains 054, 056, 072, 080 and 082 leave from South. The search lists both under ‘Tashkent’, so read the train’s route line: ‘Ташкент Центральный’ or ‘Ташкент Северный’ is Central, ‘Ташкент южный’ is South. The ticket names the station. From 15 September to 15 October 2023 the railway moved some trains between the two, so read the ticket even for a train you know.
After a flight, count from the moment you leave the airport with your bags: see arriving at Tashkent airport. In Bukhara, trains stop at Bukhara-1 in Kogon, outside the old town. For Khiva, stay on to the last stop: Urgench, 20 minutes earlier, is a different city.
| Station | Also written | Trains | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tashkent Central | Toshkent Markaziy; Tashkent North, Severny | Afrosiyob, Sharq, Nasaf, Manguberdi | Day trains |
| Tashkent South | Toshkent Janubiy; Yuzhny | Night trains 054, 056, 072, 080, 082 | A separate station |
| Samarkand | Samarqand | Every train on the line | A taxi ride from Registan |
| Bukhara-1 | Buxoro-1, in Kogon | Every train to Bukhara and Khiva | Outside the old town: book the transfer |
| Khiva | Xiva | Manguberdi, 706/707, night trains | Last stop; Urgench comes 20 minutes earlier |
On board: luggage, food and seats
Hand luggage is capped at 36 kg per full or child ticket, and one item must measure no more than 180 cm in length, width and height combined. Bags stay off seats, aisles and vestibules. Keep passports, medicine and valuables on you, and pack so you can lift your own case.
Afrosiyob has a bistro car and equipment to serve food at your seat, but the railway publishes no menu or prices, and no catering details at all for Sharq and the night trains. Bring water and food, especially on an early train. Do not get off at an intermediate stop to buy food: the Manguberdi stands 10 minutes at Samarkand, and trains do not wait.
In seated cars the system allocates seats in order, with no window or aisle choice online. For the view, take a daylight train; no side of the carriage is officially the better one. On the day, the railway can swap a carriage for another of the same class: you keep the class, not necessarily the seat number.
Stations run paid left-luggage rooms. Their hours are not published, so ask at the station before leaving bags, and keep the receipt.
Watch out
- Two Tashkent stations: Central for Afrosiyob and Sharq, South for most night trains. ‘Tashkent’ alone on a booking is not an address.
- Returning a ticket costs at least 55,000 som (40,000 agency fee plus 15,000 refund fee), and dates cannot be changed.
- On 27 September, every October Afrosiyob date searched from Tashkent to Samarkand was full: book the morning your date opens.
- Day trains for a date went on sale a day after night trains; if only night trains show seats, the day trains have not opened yet.
- No window-seat choice in seated cars: the system allocates seats in order.
- Summer nights: platzkart and 2К or 2Л kupe have no air-conditioning; pick 2У kupe or SV.
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What we can arrange here
Train and domestic-flight tickets
On requestDetails and visit information
Send your travel date, departure and arrival cities, preferred time and group size. We can check rail and flight options, including Afrosiyob and Jaloliddin Manguberdi services where available, and agree the journey before arranging tickets.
Seats and schedules are checked for your date. Passenger details must match the travel document; sending an inquiry does not hold a seat.
Sources & visit information
No prices are published. Send your dates, group size and language; we confirm the meeting point, inclusions and availability before you book.
Common questions
Do children need their own ticket?
Under 5, one child per paying adult rides free without a seat, added to the same order; a child fare buys a seat. From 5 to 9, a child fare with a seat is compulsory, in the same order as an adult. From 10, children pay the adult fare. Under-16s cannot travel without an adult; bring a birth certificate or passport.
How many people can I book in one order?
Four. A larger group needs a second order, and so do places in different carriages.
Can I buy a ticket on the day of travel?
Yes: online until 5 minutes before departure for trains within Uzbekistan, and at station ticket offices. Afrosiyob is usually full by then: on 27 September, the Tashkent–Samarkand trains two days ahead had 176 Sharq and Nasaf seats and no Afrosiyob seat.
I was charged but see no ticket. What now?
Open ‘My new orders’ in your account before paying again. If the order is there, the ticket is valid and the charge stands. If it is not, call +998 99 190 50 05 or write to @chiptarailwayuz on Telegram (Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00, break 13:00–14:00); the call centre number is 1005.
Sources and checks14 sources
Times, free seats and fares come from the railway’s booking search on 27 September 2026 (24 September for the Manguberdi, train 706 and the Shahrisabz train); booking, payment, boarding and refund rules come from its public offer, read the same day. Fares are per adult, in som.
- Uzbekistan Railways booking search, 27 September 2026
Russian; official. Station-pair searches run 02:00–02:15 Tashkent time for departures from 29 September to 25 November 2026: trains, times, free places by class and fares; train 302 marked ‘tickets only at ticket offices’. Checked 27 September 2026.
- Uzbekistan Railways booking search, 24 September 2026
Russian; official. Jaloliddin Manguberdi 752/751 times, days and fares, Bukhara–Khiva section fare, Shahrisabz trains 774/773 on Sundays; eticket.railway.uz redirected here. Checked 24 September 2026.
- Uzbekistan Railways public offer
Russian; official terms. Sales opening (no earlier than 60 days, 10:00), sign-in, 4 passengers per order, seat allocation, cards and GBP charging, electronic registration and boarding, children, refunds (40,000 + 15,000 som), no date changes, carriage classes. Checked 27 September 2026.
- Afrosiyob tariff notice, 16 January 2026
Uzbek; official railway channel. Afrosiyob fares by class from Tashkent to Samarkand, Qarshi and Bukhara, in force from 1 February 2026; read 14 September 2026. Economy and business matched the booking search on 27 September 2026.
- How to buy e-tickets
Russian; official. 10-minute limit for passenger details and payment, accepted cards, 14-digit e-ticket; read 24 September 2026, no test payment.
- Operator statement on ticket availability, 4 April 2026
Uzbek; official operator channel. Quick sell-outs at holidays and weekends; websites, apps and ticket offices as sales channels. Read 14 September 2026.
- Uzbekistan Railways FAQ
Uzbek; official. Unpaid orders lapse and returned tickets go back on sale. Read 14 September 2026.
- Operator notice: trains 706/707 Bukhara–Khiva, 7 September 2026
Uzbek; official operator channel. Times, running days and the 270,800-som fare from 9 September 2026. Read 24 September 2026.
- Afrosiyob equipment report, 26 May 2022
Uzbek; official. Economy, business and VIP classes and the bistro car. Read 14 September 2026.
- Talgo: Afrosiyob trains for Uzbekistan, 30 May 2019
English; manufacturer. Air-conditioning in all classes, bar-buffet and at-seat catering equipment. Read 14 September 2026.
- Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 109, 13 April 2012
Uzbek/Russian; law. Passenger rules: identity check at boarding (para 41), 36 kg hand luggage and the 180 cm size limit (paras 65–66). Read 14 September 2026.
- Station operator: paid and free services
Uzbek; official. Left luggage is a paid station service; no hours published. Read 14 September 2026.
- Temporary Tashkent station change, 2023
Russian; official. Trains moved between Tashkent’s two stations from 15 September to 15 October 2023. Read 14 September 2026.
- Bukhara Biennial: visitor directions
Uzbek. Bukhara-1 station is in Kogon, outside the city. Read 13 September 2026.