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Tashkent–Bukhara high-speed rail line

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Tashkent – Samarkand High speed Railway
Afrosiyob high-speed train
Overview
Statuspassenger service
OwnerUzbekistan Railways
Termini
Service
TypeHigh-speed railway
SystemUzbekistan Railways
Operator(s)Uzbekistan Railways
Rolling stockTalgo 250
History
Opened8 October 2011
Technical
Line length344 km (214 mi)
CharacterPassenger
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Operating speedvarious

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. A extension to Bukhara on the Talgo 250 has run to Bukhara for the first time on August 25 2016, marking the completion of a project to modernise the 256 km route from Samarkand. Tashkent to Bukhara, 600 km, will now take 3 hours and 20 minutes instead of 7 hours.[1]

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.[2][3] The line includes both new and rebuilt trackage, as well as adding modern signaling systems to the route.[4] 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.[3] 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.[4] The line was planned to open for commercial operation in September 2011,[5] but suffered from delays.[6]

Operation

Inside Afrosiyob train

Two trainsets for operation on the line were ordered in November 2009 from Talgo at a cost of €38 million[3][7] 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.[4] The first trainset, a Talgo 250, was delivered to Tashkent on 22 July 2011.[7][8] Each trainset consists of two power cars, eight passenger cars with a capacity of 257 people and a dining car.[7] The second trainset arrived in Tashkent on 9 December 2011.[9] The train carried out its first trip from Tashkent to Samarkand on 26 August 2011.[10][11]

Commercial service started on 8 October 2011 twice a week under the brand Afrosiyob.[12][13] Initially, total travel time was still more than two and half-hours[14] but services were upgraded to five times a week in January 2012,[15] and daily services started from 13 February 2012.[16] The travel time has been reduced to 2:08 hours on 10 February 2013. [17]

References

  1. ^ http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/talgo-250-reaches-bukhara.html
  2. ^ "Uzbekistan begins construction on high-speed railway". Central Asia Newswire. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Uzbekistan's high-speed rail plans face logistics challenges". Central Asia Newswire. October 22, 2010. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent". Uzbekistan Daily. July 24, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  5. ^ "Uzbekistan receives first high-speed train from Spain". Railway Insider. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  6. ^ Uzbekistan’s high-speed trains said to lack suitable tracks
  7. ^ a b c "Talgo 250 arrives in Toshkent". Railway Gazette International. July 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  8. ^ First high-speed Talgo electricity train arrives in Tashkent, 24 July 2011
  9. ^ "Второй электропоезд Afrosiyob прибыл в Ташкент (фото)" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. December 10, 2011.
  10. ^ Uzdaily: First high-speed electricity train carries out first trip from Samarkand and Tashkent, 27 August 2011
  11. ^ Uzbekistan Launches High Speed Tashkent-Smarkand Rail Line, September 08 2011
  12. ^ ГАЖК «Ўзбекистон темир йўллари», ОАО «Узжелдоропасс» оъявляет, что началась продажа проездных документов на высокоскоростной поезд «Afrosiyob»
  13. ^ High-speed Afrosiyob train starts to run between Tashkent and Samarkand, 6 October 2011
  14. ^ Uzbekistan Today: 2.5 Hours to Samarqand
  15. ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run five times a week. UzDaily.com. 24 January 2012
  16. ^ High-speed train Afrosiyob to run seven times a week. UzDaily.com. 13 February 2012
  17. ^ "Поездка в Самарканд на поезде Afrosiyob теперь занимает два часа" (in Russian). Gazeta.uz. February 12, 2013.
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