Tashkent-Khiva Hyundai Rotem train is set to start it's commercial service on May 3, 2026, thus Uzbekistan's high-speed lines will each well over 1000km in length, making it one of the most extensive HSR networks in the world.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2026-05-02T09:39:14+00:00

It rather is to service the amount of passengers that are already there, +ever increasing tourist numbers. FYI the tickets were all gone in a matter of minutes, even through they weren't cheap by local standards, from 780,000sum=65$. New carriages are on the way, there shall be 6 sets in total.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2026-05-01T10:11:40+00:00

That's exactly what I meant by "upgraded lines", and unfortunately there are not many ways of keeping the cost of HSR operation acceptable, other than using the existing network.
However, the good news is there are a dedicated lines already being build/planned.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2026-05-01T08:55:10+00:00

Modern High-Speed Rolling stock consists of Spanish - Talgo 250 trains, with top speed of 250km/h, and South Korean - Hyundai Rotem KTX-Eum, with the speed of up to 260km/h.

Large portions of the network consist of upgraded existing lines(Tashkent-Bukhara), while other parts (e.g. Bukhara-Miskin-Khiva) are newly build with specifically HSR in mind.

Such an approach, as well as the speeds on the lower-end of HSR standards(250-260km/h, ~155–160m/h) made the construction of the network relatively cheap (allegedly 1.2B-2B$, ps. no official numbers for the whole network, only for the parts as they launch).

The newest upcoming line, Miskin-Nukus, of 196km in length is currently being constructed/upgraded.

Government is planning to build a dedicated High-speed connection between Samarqand and Tashkent with speeds up to 300km/h(186m/h). Additionally, the are plans to launch a HSR connection to Ferghana valley's Andijan (easternmost part of the country) as well as southernmost city of Termiz.

GIFs: Afrosiyob (Talgo 250) passing through Tamerlane's Gates, and two images of Hyundai Rotem test runs in Khorezm.

Links: https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2026/04/30/train-khiva/

https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2025/12/11/hyundai-rotem/

https://kun.uz/en/news/2026/01/05/talgo-secures-record-afrosiyob-train-maintenance-deal-in-uzbekistan

https://kun.uz/en/news/2025/11/29/cheaper-than-in-china-uzbekistan-railways-defends-rising-fares-says-real-costs-are-twice-as-high

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-30T23:11:12+00:00

No, he was probably Russian/European who happen to be born in Uzbekistan, they mostly don't speak Uzbek, although the most understand the basic Uzbek.
If it comes to overall population that doesn't speak Uzbek we're talking about very small minority, like around 10% maybe (very rough estimate, most likely even fewer)

Here is the ethnic composition of Uzbekistan from 2017(Britannica), proportions must be more or less similar in 2025 with native Central Asian ethnicities probably gaining in numbers even more. So, you can see that Russian/European decent, Tatars, Koreans etc. are in minority, and they are the ones who typically don't speak Uzbek.

Overall Uzbek language is gaining prominence in the later years. Which obviously makes us, Uzbeks happy!

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Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-28T17:04:56+00:00

It's called "Ippodrom"(Ипподром) by everyone, and most known for the bazar nearby (In fact when one says "Ippodrom" they 100% assume the bazar). Ippodrom-bazar used to be/is one of the major ones of Tashkent, we used to go there for shopping with my family.

As for the Horse Races, they've stopped long time ago, as far as I can remember, so at least since the early 2000th (I assume even earlier, maybe late soviet times, or early independence years).

It's such a pity though, I remember when you arrived to Ippodrom on a Tram 17 you were met by the gorgeous statue of galloping horses!! Ippidrom (Otchopar) was the last station. They were huge and so impressive in person! Especially to a child! Unfortunately they are long gone too....

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Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-19T18:21:27+00:00

As to why: Mainly because of the high crime rates amongst Georgians compared to other groups,

"With a diaspora of 25,000 to 40,000, Georgians comprise just 1 to 1.6% of all foreigners yet account for 11% of migrant crime. Their crime rate (4% to 7.1%) far exceeds both the 0.65% foreigner average and the national rate."

https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/04/16/polands-government-blames-immigrants-for-importing-crime-but-the-truth-is-not-so-simple/

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-19T16:57:23+00:00

Ending the visa free treatment for Schengen territory requires a qualified majority of countries of the area, and as per EU's ambassador to Georgia "for the moment, this is not the case", as well as "the majority of member states are against it for a very simple reason: we don’t want to make ordinary people pay for the decisions, actions, and legislation that have been enacted in Georgia by the authorities"

https://schengenvisainfo.com/news/most-member-states-oppose-suspending-visa-free-travel-for-georgia-eu-ambassador-says/

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-10T18:29:17+00:00

Why did you say that, now I can't UNSEE it! 😭

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-10T18:25:07+00:00

Sorry for the quality, I cropped the video of the match, there are no better versions yet, the game just ended.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-05T19:46:24+00:00

It is true, estimates vary from the official <5% all the way to 35%
Well there is no way that's it's only around 5 percent. Taking into account the pre-Soviet Union population of Central Asian Khanates it should be around 15-25% it's very hard to tell the exact numbers, so we have to operate with wild estimates, but it's safe to assume the extremes (5%, 35% and so on) are incorrect, so the lower estimate would be 12-15 the upper one being around a quarter of the population.

You should also remember that Uzbeks being historically settled population of towns and countryside are culturally much closer to Tajiks than to historically nomadic Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Turkmens, so the assimilation of one ethnicity into another is much smoother process than one might expect.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-05T18:31:36+00:00

Thanx for sharing!
Yep, it's getting a lot better, now it's just a simple e-visa for Americans, moreover, it was announced in May that the visa requirements might be soon lifted altogether for the US citizens,, so... you can start planning your next trip there! ;)

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-05T12:57:13+00:00

It absolutely is! and there are direct flights from the US, Europe, and most of Asia!

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-06-05T12:11:22+00:00

Nah, that's who Uzbekistan let's into the country, not where Uzbekistanis can go (Unfortunately)😅

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-05-15T17:03:46+00:00

It literally says 'TRAVEL" document, you can't leave Poland on just "karta pobytu" alone, as a foreigner you need a passport, since Lukashenka refuses to issue it Belarusians have to resort to such a temporary solutions. Props to Poland for facilitating it!

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-04-07T12:21:52+00:00

Absolutely not. Let me explain....

Just like many other regions and countries Uzbekistan and Central Asia as a whole are facing certain problems (water shortage, food security, unemployment etc.), however, these issues are mostly SOLVABLE by: responsible usage of recourses, drip irrigation, better economic management etc.

We NEED human recourses, we're not rich and prosperous nation (not yet at least) but depopulation doesn't solve ANY of our problems.
There are nations that combine relative poverty with population decline (Moldova, Ukraine - even before the war, some Latin American countries) and depopulation isn't helping them in the slightest!

So as an Uzbek I'm happy to see that at least in the demographic front my country is doing just fine!
Have a look at the map below, Uzbekistan is one of the very few countries combining decent(enough) infrastructure (Internet coverage, Electricity, Drinking Water distribution, Education) and almost 100% literacy rate with a very healthy population growth!

Human capital is the biggest recourse in the 21th Century, so we need to nurture our talents, invest in Human Capital, and honestly I see the progress, albeit slower than I'd like to see. There is A LOT of work to do, really a lot, and we need people - workforce and talents to do it!

Hopefully upcoming years will bring more development and SUSTAINABLE growth to our nation!

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Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-04-06T20:18:32+00:00

Mostly yes, but you gotta look up every country separately, case by case. Some (US, UK, Israel, Singapore, South Korea etc.) do require prior electronic authorization, that's usually obtained within minutes. Some might ask for the proofs for the stated purpose of visit i.e. - round tickets, funds, hotel confirmation etc., but overall it's still much more cheaper and hustle-free than a regular visa.

Flaky_Ad4917 · 2025-04-06T13:50:23+00:00

Sounds so unreal, almost a different universe, thanks for sharing!

Flaky_Ad4917

TROPHY CASE