Can someone tell me if anyone has traveled to Bukhara on the Sharq train? Is it decent or like the old Russian electric trains? As I can't get hold of tickets to Afrisyob I was thinking of buying a tickets to Sharq train. Couple of extra hours in journey is not a big deal for me as long as conditions are fine.
I traveled in Sharq in a seated carriage. Everything was excellent—clean, comfortable, with power outlets and great service. You can get hot and cold water for free, and the conductor provides tea bags. For a fee, you can enjoy delicious food, and the stewards are always offering something. There's a restaurant car, but I didn't go there. Before the Afrosiyob train, this was the flagship train, just a bit outdated now.
Good afternoon! How can I get from Tashkent to Samarkand besides the train (the only ones left take 4 hours), since we didn't buy tickets in time? Is a taxi an option? Would it take even longer?
The taxi takes the same 4 hours, and the bus takes a bit longer. 😊
For those interested, I’m traveling from Samarkand to Tashkent on the Sharq train. It’s very comfortable. They serve tea (for free), offer snacks, sandwiches, ice cream, and strawberries. When boarding, the conductor only checked the printed e-ticket and didn’t ask for any other documents. At the entrance to the station, they only asked if I had a ticket. I didn’t see any staff inside the station at all. It’s nice that announcements are made in Russian too; thank you for that!
They do treat you to tea, but everything else is at your own expense 😉. By the way, there’s a hot water dispenser, so you can go get hot water as much as you want (I brought tea bags with me just in case). The ride is very comfortable. One side of the carriage has two seats (almost like business class on a plane), while the other side has one seat, with a wide aisle in between. There are large overhead luggage racks. Tables are only in the middle of the carriage (seats 39, 40, and 15, 16, 17, 18). The other seats have foldable tables like on a plane. I got lucky; my seat has a table 😉.
What else? Oh, the legroom is spacious, so you can stretch your legs comfortably. Wishing you a pleasant and comfortable journey!
Here is our carriage in Sharq on the way Samarkand - Tashkent. Afrosiyob is obviously better, but even 4 hours in Sharq are quite comfortable. Can't really complain.
From February 1, Afrosiyob tickets will increase in price by 15% 🚆
Starting February 1, 2026, fares on Afrosiyob high-speed trains in Uzbekistan will rise, according to Uzbekistan Railways.
An economy-class trip from Tashkent will cost:
Ticket prices for long-distance trains and the high-speed Sharq are 2–3 times cheaper than for the high-speed Afrosiyob. Tickets are always available. Travel time is 4 hours. On night trains you can sleep and save on a hotel. During the day you sit, relax, and get rested before exploring Tashkent.
@madina Are regular trains really that run-down if they’re that much cheaper? And even so, the Samarkand–Bukhara time difference isn’t that big to justify overpaying.
The trains are absolutely fine. Everyone just got obsessed with that poor Spanish “Afrosiyob.”
We traveled on Afrosiyob and on Sharq business class. Afrosiyob is faster and more comfortable, of course. But Sharq is perfectly adequate for traveling too. Four hours on a train is still more comfortable than rattling around in a marshrutka or a taxi.
Hello! Please tell me which train is more comfortable, Sharq or Nasaf. The departure time from Samarkand to Tashkent is the same, and the travel time is the same. I looked at the carriage layout — on Sharq there are 2 seats together and 1 separate seat, while on Nasaf there are 3 seats together. Is that really so?
It doesn’t make any difference. They’re both the same. It’s just that their final destinations are different (after Samarkand they split off to different cities). One goes to Bukhara, and the other, I don’t remember, to Termez I think… Just check the schedule and choose whichever is more convenient for you.
We travelled on Sharq, and liked it very much
I bought tickets for the Nasaf train (it’s the same train as Sharq, just with different carriages).
For three people, I chose a private compartment — very convenient. There are also compartments for six people.
The trip was comfortable.
