TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 6. Uzbekistan Railways and the Italian Arsenale Group signed an agreement on launching the Samarkand express tourist train, Trend reports.
The III Tashkent International Investment Forum served as the setting for the signing of the document, according to Uzbekistan's Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade.
The project envisages the creation of a luxury train, which will start running in Uzbekistan at the end of 2026.
The tourist train will consist of 13–15 wagons and accommodate 76 tourists. The estimated duration of the trip on the Tashkent - Khiva route will be 2 nights and 3 days, with stops in Samarkand and Bukhara. It is planned to make approximately 70 to 90 trips per year.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan plans to start producing electric trains and subway trains at the Tashkent plant for passenger car construction and repair in 2024.
An asynchronous traction motor will equip each train with four 14-meter-long wagons. The train's total passenger capacity will be 306 people. Their speed will be 120 kilometers per hour. The second step of the project is to manufacture regional four-car electric trains with aerodynamic body designs. Their maximum speed will be 160 km/h, and each train will have 360 passenger seats.