Samarkand — Local services in Samarkand City

Today we came to Samarkand from Tashkent by Afrasiyab train. Very good train, on time, very clean and very cooperative staff with English spoken. Samarkand Railway station is clean and very good structure. In the end of the 19th century, when Uzbekistan was a part of Turkestan province within the Russian Empire, railways were actively built throughout Central Asia. Samarkand, being one of the main trade centers of Central Asia of that time, was sorely in need of new transport communications. In May 1888 a railroad bridge was built across the Amu Darya River and Samarkand became one of the stations on the Trans-Caspian Railway. During the existence of the Samarkand Railway Station, its building was many times reconstructed and today Samarkand station is the modern complex, equipped with everything necessary for arrivals and departures of guests of the Pearl of East. Many domestic and international trains go through Samarkand. Recently a new high speed train Afrosiab has been launched between Tashkent and Samarkand, which tightened relations of ancient capital of Mawarannahr and modern capital...

Nice looking station but that's where the niceness ends

There are no board telling you which platform you're train will come on

I did ask when I got there and they said it is platform 1

As the train to Tashkent pulled in, the announced that it was on platform 3

Despite arriving early, it was quite a last minute mayhem and no help with the luggage

There aren't any escalators or a lift to take your luggage across to the platform and it is only accessible via stairs

It simply was an awful experience

The platform was busy and our carriage was a long way down

It was each person in their own really. No one directs you where you carriage is and no numbers on he older trains so you have to ask each person in front of the carriage where your carriage is which caused a lot of distress to me

I guess good if you are in a tour group but not if you are travelling by yourself Even arriving early in plenty of time...

Like all the railway stations in Uzbekistan, the station was also very well organized very clean and there was staff to help you with the luggage. You have to buy the tickets in advance online and that’s the best way to make sure that you’re not in a situation where you cannot get tickets at the station. The railway is very popular here and you cannot take the chance of arriving at the railway station to buy the tickets wherever you need to go. There is also a few really nice souvenir shops right at the railway station, place to buy food as well as snack snacks for when you’re on the train, but also remember there is food available to purchase on the train just like tea and coffee and the famous samosas and there’s also fresh fruit available on the train to buy. Overall, the experience of riding a train is very pleasant in Uzbekistan and it’s definitely not...