You must be wondering why someone would need to explain the process of how to book tickets of Afrosiyob train tickets when everything is on the internet, or rather, the reels. Because most of the time, a lot of information is lost in translation or difficult to compress in a short span. And a blog with images is always easier to understand than watching a reel a hundred times! I chose Afrosiyob Railways, which is why I decided to share my experience on how to book Afrosiyob train tickets, but I will also mention how to book a ticket for any other Uzbekistan railway because the booking site offers all kinds of trains to choose from.

This is Uzbekistan’s gem when it comes to travelling within the country. A high-speed railway that connects major corners of the country.

While I assumed Afrosiyob Train Routes connect only limited cities, I was pleasantly surprised how it tenacles across the land.

Afrosiyob Railways doesn’t just connect Tashkent to Samarkand or Samarkand to Bukhara or Bukhara to Khiva, but also these routes.

• Tashkent (Capital Station): Main northern starting terminal.
• Guliston / Sirdaryo: Early southern transit stops.
• Jizzakh / Dashtobod: Central corridor checkpoints.
• Samarkand: Major hub near the historic Afrasiyab site.
• Navoiy: Desert-region connector stops.
• Bukhara: Western terminal point for primary express runs.
• Qarshi: Southern extension branches off the central line

What Are The Booking Guidelines?

Try to book Afrosiyob tickets at least a week in advance but it would still be a gamble. If yiur trip is confirmed then book the tickets as early as possible.

You must enter your exact full name and passport number during booking. A single typo can cause boarding denial

Once seats are selected during online checkout, you have a strict 15 to 30-minute window to finish payment.

Arrive at the station 30 to 40 minutes early to clear mandatory airport-style security checks before heading to the platform.

Carry the exact physical passport used during the online booking; digital copies or mismatched IDs are not accepted

First, go to the railway website for e-tickets and click on ‘LOG IN’ where you will find the option to register. You can either register with your phone number or email ID (I did with my email ID).

Once you click on ‘ Confirm ‘, you will be taken to the next page asking you to ‘Confirm SMS code ’, which will be sent to your email ID if you have selected that option.

Then it takes you back to the Homepage where you can now Sign In.

Once you have logged in, I would recommend going to ‘My Fellow Passengers’ and adding yourself and others who are travelling with you.

When you are adding a passenger, ensure you select Foreign document under ‘Document type’ to be able to add your passport number.

Once you have added the passenger/ passengers’ details, go back to the home page and, if you want to, then check the ‘TRAIN SCHEDULE’ before selecting the ‘From’ and ‘To’ along with the Departure date.

Once you enter all the details and click on Search, it will display a list of trains running the desired route. The trains are not only Afrosiyob but also others like Sharq, Passenger, and Nasaf. They all offer a comfortable journey to the passengers; the only difference is the speed and time taken to reach the destinations and the price. Afrosiyob is comparatively more expensive than the rest.

I chose Afrosiyob because I wanted to experience it once. After choosing the train, I was directed to the seat selection, where it clearly indicated the train direction and the seat arrangement. A blessing to have a precise understanding of which seats we are selecting as per the train direction, or else people suffering from motion sickness would otherwise have a terrible time.

Select the seat

Under ‘Fill Out passenger details’, go to the ‘add from list’ drop-down and select the passengers.

Scroll down to select Additional services in case you want to add something.

In the bottom right corner, you can also check the ‘Choose food’ box before continuing to preview the tickets before confirming.

Once you review all the details, then confirm to pay. Sometimes it may happen that the screen goes blank, but you receive your tickets by email! Fascinating, isn’t it? It occurs quite often, so don’t be alarmed. Wait for five mins or so and close the tab.

This is how you book Afrosiyob railway tickets on your desktop or tablet. In case your life revolves around your phone, and you wanna book on that, then first download the Uzrailway tickets, then the same registration and booking follows. Here too, the post-payment lag doesn’t leave you, but as long as you receive the tickets, it isn’t an issue.

Classes Available: VIP class (11 seats), Business class (26 seats), and Economy class (36 seats).

Classes Available: Luxe/SV (2-berth private cabins), First-class, and Second-class seated coaches.

Classes Available: Luxe, First-class, and Second-class seating options.

Platskart (open-plan bunk beds), Kupe (4-berth closed compartments), and Lux/SV (2-berth private rooms).

Compared with other railways in Uzbekistan, Afrosiyob’s cost depends on the departure time. Usually, the price of Afrosiyob tickets for Tashkent to Samarkand and vice versa ranges from SOM 709,000 to SOM 760,000 (INR 5,700 to INR 6,100)*, Samarkand to Bukhara is SOM 765,000 to SOM 780,000 (INR 6, 150 to INR6,250)*; Tashkent to Bukhara offers Business and Economy class, with Economy costing SOM 509,000 (INR 4,070)*, Business class SOM 760,000 (INR 6,100), and VIP costs SOM 1,138,000 (INR 9,090)*!

The cheapest is the Passenger train, with Sleeper class tickets costing SOM 177,990 (INR 943)*. From there on, different trains are priced differently based on the class of compartment.

*Currency Conversion rate is subject to change.

Do note that vendors or tour operators tend to purchase tickets in order to sell them at a higher price. Which is why it is advisable to buy your tickets well in advance and not wait for the last minute to get yours!

[Also read: Things a first-time traveller to Uzbekistan must know]

It’s a different experience for sure, especially for those who are in it for more than just a change of scenery. Personally, it’s a YES for me. Easy, hassle-free, relatively cheaper, and due to the distance from the city centre.

The ticket window opens 45 to 60 days before the departure date.

Demand for Afrosiyob railway tickets is generally between April and May, then September to October, and over weekends cause seats seem to vanish almost instantly.

Usually ranges from 311,000 UZS to 1,130,000 UZS (approximately $25 to $90 USD) depending on your route and seat class. On the other hand,

Yes, they are more expensive than other Uzbek trains because they are high-speed and worth the splurge if you are short on time.

You can either book through the Uzbekistan e-ticket railway site or through 12go.asia.

It takes around 2 hours 15 minutes or 2 hours 20 minutes to travel from Tashkent to Samarkand by Afrosiyob Railways.

Yes, you can. I did the same. Registered and booked the first set of Afrosiyob tickets while sipping coffee in Mumbai.

Yes, they can. You can ask your hotel to book train tickets for you, or even a tour operator.

Uzbekistan is highly underrated. Except for Silk Route cities, it hardly attracts a crowd, although there are the snowy peaks of the Chimgan Mountains, the handicrafts of Fergana, or the gateway to Khiva, which also serves as the seat of the Khorezm culture that happens to be mentioned in the Zoroastrian holy book Avesta, making it an early cradle of civilization. These unique attractions aside, an Uzbekistan visa is easy to apply for and pretty smooth.