Trains are by far the easiest way to get around in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where there is an extensive inter-city rail network. As well as being relatively comfortable, the trains can be a great way to see the vast landscapes and interact with curious locals. The trains are soviet-style, running very long distances with multiple different classes and carriages, often only running once a day or even once every couple of days. Stations are very well organised and clean and we generally found the trains to run efficiently, although a couple of times we were very significantly delayed (a small delay in one place can have an exponential effect). Usually the train will stay in each station for a specific amount of time – this is usually displayed on the train schedules. I’ve put together this guide to train travel in Central Asia based on my own personal experiences of traveling by train from Aktobe to Almaty in Kazakhstan, and from Nukus to Andijan in Uzbekistan (with many stops along the way).

How to book train tickets?

Make sure you book in advance as train tickets do sell out. I don’t know if it is possible to buy on the day or in person, but from our experience you will not be allowed into the station building without a ticket so it’s best to buy in advance. Sometimes there is only one train a week, or one per day for specific routes and these trains can get very cramped and busy so make sure you select appropriate seats. 

We heard reports of people having difficulty booking train tickets in Uzbekistan, but we had no problems at all booking tickets using the Uzbek Rail app. This is possible even without an Uzbek credit card – just download the app, create an account and select payment by Stripe (a service similar to Paypal that processes international transactions).

In Kazakhstan, we booked train tickets using the website tickets.kz and again encountered no problems.

Using both these services, you will be issued with an e-ticket in PDF form. Just show this to the train conductor (it’s fine to just show on your phone, no need to print out) and you will be directed to the correct place. Sometimes the conductor will even personally take you to your seats.

Which class should I choose?

Most Central Asian trains are Soviet-style sleeper trains with three classes – 1st (Luxe), 2nd (Kupe) and 3rd (Platzkart). Instead of a seat, you’re allocated a bench which doubles up as a bed. The class you book refers to the configuration of the carriage. Don’t expect luxury service or free drinks in first class! Some trains also have European-style carriages with seats, although this is only available on certain routes. 

We personally experienced all of the different train classes in Central Asia. In all sleeper classes, bedding was provided in the form of a sheet to go around around the padded cushion/mattress, another sheet to use as a cover, a pillow case and sometimes a towel. This was provided even for daytime journeys. The trains have a couple of toilets per carriage, and also usually have a tap or boiler for hot water. Most of the trains have a restaurant carriage where you can go to order food. All classes also had a phone charging socket, although in the 3rd class this often did not work. 

1st class: Luxe or S.V. 

By far the most expensive, this is an enclosed cabin with 2 single beds – ideal for a couple or friends looking for more privacy. The door locks so you can feel completely at ease, it’s almost like a (very cramped) hotel room. The beds, bedding and mattresses are the same as in those in 3rd class, except you may get two pillows instead of one. Usually this option is much quieter than the constant chatter and hum of people in the Platzkart however we found that it was still quite noisy outside the cabin on the 16 hour journey from Termez to Tashkent due to people from other classes wandering around. If you’re looking for a comfortable and undisturbed sleep, however, this is probably the best bet. 

2nd class: Kupe

An enclosed cabin with 2 sets of bunk beds – expect up to 4 people per compartment. The door to the compartment closes and locks for additional privacy. This is a good option if you want a quieter experience than the chaos of the Platzkart, however as there could be up to 3 others in the cabin you could be unlucky and get a snorer or someone a bit strange so solo travellers should bear this in mind. Overall our experience of kupe class was positive. 

3rd class: Platzkart 

Bodies everywhere, gross bare feet hanging over the edges of the beds, babies screaming and constant commotion. If being right in the action is your cup of tea, then Platzkart is the one for you. The configuration of the carriage is two bunk beds opposite each other separated by a table, and a third bunk bed at a right angle making a small block of 6 beds. The carriage is completely open with no compartments, anyone walking along the corridor can see in your area. There is no privacy. This is the best option if you want to chat to locals or exchange food. Usually a curious family will adopt you and offer you bread, somsa or whatever they have with them in a gesture of goodwill. Make sure you offer them food in return as it’s considered good manners. Platzkart is the cheapest option with good reason. During the day, the beds often become communal benches, while the lower bed on the single bunk can be folded away to create two small seats with a table. 

Seated

Seats instead of bunk beds in a more European-style. Ideal for shorter, day journeys. The configuration and comfort levels are similar to European trains. This class is only available on certain routes.

Top bunk or bottom bunk?

When booking a ticket, you have the option to choose between top and bottom bunks (usually a diagram on the booking page will allow you to see if your seat is top or bottom bunk). Below is our list of pros and cons from personal experience:

Top bunk

• More privacy for sleeping
• Less people bumping into you (only in the Platzkart)  – often when people walk past they knock any part of your body sticking over the edge of the bed, namely feet. 
• Difficulty in ascending to the top bunk – there are no stairs on any of the trains so it requires some agility to get onto the top bunk. 
• Not very good for claustrophobic passengers as the space between the top bunk and ceiling isn’t very much. 
• Annoyance of trying to get off the top bunk for a toilet break. 
• Not ideal if you’re travelling during the day as you may not be able to sit up in bed as there isn’t enough room. You’re pretty much confined to a reclining position. 

Overall the top bunk is good for sleeping but less than ideal for day travel. 

Bottom bunk

• Less privacy for sleeping
• In the Platzkart other passengers may bump into you when traversing the corridors. 
• Ease of access to the toilet and rest of the train.
• Ability to sit on the bed like a chair and be more normal during day
• Other passengers may sit on your bed to talk to friends without your permission
• You may find someone else in your bed when you first arrive – see below for full description. 
• More sociable position – locals may start talking to you if you’re on a bottom bunk. 

Overall, ideal for day travel but okay for night travel too. 

What to expect when using the train?

To be able to get into the station, you need to pass through either one or two security checkpoints (Uzbekistan often had two checkpoints), usually one outside and another inside the station. Make sure you have your ticket ready when you approach the train station as you may be asked to show it to the security staff at the entrance. Your luggage will be scanned before being allowed to board the train. These extra safety features made us feel very safe. Usually train stations and bus stations are dodgy places with a high prevalence of crime, but as only ticket-holders can access the station we felt very much at ease inside the station building. 

Make sure you arrive well ahead of time as the time on your ticket indicates the time the train departs rather than arrives at. You can board the train as soon as it arrives, which could be up to 30 minutes before the departure time on your ticket. Central Asian stations do not usually have organised and marked platforms, so you may need to ask a member of staff to find which train is yours.

Once the train arrives, you need to find the correct carriage which corresponds to the carriage number on your ticket. Sometimes this is a little unclear, but usually the carriage number will either be painted on the side or displayed in one of the windows of the train.

Each carriage has its own dedicated member of staff who will check your ticket, lead you to your seat and if necessary wake you up before arriving at your stop. This is very useful if you can’t access any maps software to confirm your location, although this can be annoying if you find yourself in the luxe like us from Termez to Tashkent and the conductor opens the door without knocking when you’re getting changed! 

The conductors are also responsible for handing out packages to passengers which contain bed sheets and towels, and collecting these back at the end of your journey. Make sure you remove all bed sheets before you depart the train as the conductor will start hassling you about them long before you’re due to leave the train. If your conductor doesn’t personally collect these bed sheets, you can drop them off in his cabin when you leave.

On some trains we were given complimentary coffee, however this is not common and most of the time you will need to pay for the coffee if it is offered. The trains will be boarded by other vendors selling all manner of items, however the vendors are usually not too much of a hassle.

The toilets will probably be gross, even in first class. Don’t expect them to be any better than 3rd class. Sometimes the toilet roll runs out – that’s life. Bring your own. It’s a good idea to bring hand sanitiser too.

Station buildings and platforms are always kept clean and tidy, unlike the train toilets

Sometimes rubbish from the previous occupants of the bunk beds will be left strewn in your area. The conductor usually clears up any mess, but some conductors are more thorough than others. 

Don’t look too closely at the mattresses provided as they often aren’t very nice – mine even had some blood specks on it on one train. The good thing is you will be provided with sheets to go over the mattresses, so you don’t really need to look at or touch them too much.

Many of the trains do not have great AC and can get very hot, especially in the heat of summer! Conversely, we found that the heat was sometimes turned up too much during a night train which made it even hotter than the daytime, while in other cases this didn’t happen. 

Sometimes your allocated bed in Platzkart will already be occupied by a family when you board the train, the likelihood of this increases if it’s a bottom bunk. It’s a mildly awkward experience to find someone else in your bed but it is likely to happen, especially in Uzbekistan. In Kazakhstan this did not happen to us once but in Uzbekistan it happened numerous times. Whether to confront the family and gently ask them to move or not is up to you, we often found ourselves sharing one bottom bunk bed if it was a short journey but on longer journeys this could cause a problem. From what we can guess, sometimes families are split up on more popular trains and if no one has taken the bottom bunk they usually claim it until someone turns up to ask for it. Thus it creates annoyance for any passengers who have reserved bottom bunks (like us) only to find an entire family packed onto our beds. As long as you expect it to happen you won’t be surprised if it does. 

Traveling in 3rd class is a great way to meet and interact with local people, we had many fun experiences in the Platzkart

The steps are quite steep on the trains so be careful when alighting, often there are staff on the platform to assist with heavy luggage. 

Preparing for the train journey

Make sure you bring all the food and drink you need for the journey. There are usually some sellers on the train, but often it’s meagre pickings. When the train stops at various stations along the route it’s sometimes possible to jump out to purchase some snacks from the stalls on the train platform, but it’s not guaranteed what you’ll find – usually instant noodles and junk food like crisps and chocolate and fizzy drinks, although we did see somsa, fruit stalls and bread for sale at some of the stations. All train carriages are equipped with a boiler for hot water, so instant noodles are a good option.

Taking shoes off is common for long journeys. It’s a good idea to bring sliders for long journeys so you can slip them on and use the toilet. 

Sliders are always a good idea for long journeys

On some trains you can find a restaurant carriage where you can purchase refreshments – we even saw beer for sale on the train from Aktobe to Aral. 

Bring hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial wipes and toilet rolls. I used the anti-bacterial wipes for cleaning our area before sitting down to ensure comfort. 

For more info on other forms of public transport in Central Asia, click here. For more Kazakhstan content click here, and for more Uzbekistan content click here!