A newly-supplied South Korean high-speed electric train began commercial operations in Uzbekistan on May 5, as the Central Asian country launched a new rail service linking its capital Tashkent with the historic “Silk Road” city of Khiva.

Never before has a Korean-built high-speed train gone into commercial service overseas.

A ceremony was held at Tashkent Central Railway Station to inaugurate a train named “Jaloliddin Manguberdi”, manufactured by Korea’s Hyundai Rotem (KRX: 064350). 

The service runs on the 1,220-kilometre (758-mile) Tashkent–Khiva–Tashkent route, cutting travel time from around 14 hours to approximately 7.5 hours.

The launch was attended by senior officials from Uzbekistan Railways, representatives of Korea’s diplomatic mission, Hyundai Rotem engineers, industry veterans and media.

Hikmatulla Rakhmetov, first deputy chairman of Uzbekistan Railways, noted that reforms in Uzbekistan have driven major progress in modernising railway infrastructure, improving passenger services and expanding international transport links.

Korea’s Ambassador to Tashkent, Won Doyeon, highlighted strong bilateral cooperation and Hyundai Rotem’s role in modernising Uzbekistan’s railway fleet.

The seven-car train model in use can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h (155 miles/h) and accommodate up to 389 passengers. It is equipped with rotating seats, surveillance systems and real-time route information displays. 

The train has been designed to handle Uzbekistan’s extreme climate, operating in temperatures from -40°C to +50°C. It is also built to withstand dust and sandstorms, particularly in the Kyzylkum desert corridor.

Q. Sabirov, chairman of the Republican Council of the Trade Union of Railway Workers and Transport Builders of Uzbekistan, welcomed the launch of the train, stressing its role in supporting domestic tourism.

The service will run three times a week in each direction. From Tashkent, departures are scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 07:00 local time, arriving in Khiva at 14:31. Return journeys leave Khiva at 07:20 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Tashkent at 14:51.

The inaugurated train is the first of six Hyundai Rotem units that will feature in Uzbekistan’s wider fleet expansion.