New high-speed trains launched between Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent and the UNESCO-listed Silk Road city of Khiva will slash journey times from 14 hours to 7.5 hours according to Uzbekistan's state railway company, Uzbek City.
The first South Korean Hyundai Rotem train departed from Tashkent Central Railway Station for the 1,222 kilometre journey to Khiva on Tuesday (5 May).
Made up of seven wagons, they can travel at a speed of 250 km/h and carry up to 389 passengers.
They are able to function in heats of more than 50°C and less than -40°C, suitable for the Central Asian nation’s boiling summers and freezing winter. The carriages are also dustproof and can withstand sandstorms, according to Uzbekistan Railways.
A 450 km stretch of Uzbekistan's railway network between Bukhara, Urgench and Khiva was electrified in preparation for the new high-speed trains.
The new trains are named after Jalal al-Din Mangburni, a Central Asian ruler who reigned between 1220 and 1231.
The Tashkent to Khiva service will depart at 7am local time from Tashkent Central Railway Station on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays. The Khiva to Tashkent service will leave Khiva Railway Station at 7:30am on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Tourism to Uzbekistan has sharply increased in recent years, amid a push by the country’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to welcome 20 million international visitors by 2030.
Arrivals to Uzbekistan were up 73% in 2025, compared to 2019, according to United Nations Tourism, making it the seventh fastest growing destination worldwide.
In 2025, 10.7 million foreign tourists arrived in the country between January and November, the government’s Tourism Committee said last year.
The Central Asian nation is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Khiva’s inner fortress, the city of Samarkand, and the historic centre of Bukhara. Uzbekistan was the historical centre of the Silk Road, with cities such as Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara playing a role as scientific, trade and cultural hubs.
Representatives from Hyundai Rotem, Uzbekistan’s state railway company, the South Korean Embassy, as well as union officials attended the event marking the inaugural trip.
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