Bus service between the Tajik northern city of Khujand and the Russian city of Novosibirsk has been reinstated after being suspended due to the pandemic. Tajik and Russian entrepreneurs have reportedly collaborated to restore the route.
Passenger carriage along this route is carried out jointly by Open Joint-Stock Companies (OJSCs) Sorbon (Tajikistan) and Novosibirskgortrans (Russia) as well as Individual Entrepreneur (IE) Isokhadzhayev Firm.
An official source within OJSC Sorbon has told Asia-Plus in an interview that buses will operate once every two days. The next departure is scheduled for January 14.
As per the schedule:
- Buses will leave Khujand at 22:20, with a travel time of 50 hours and 30 minutes.
- Departure from Novosibirsk will be at 10:25 Dushanbe time.
Additionally, buses now connect Khujand with the Russian cities of Tyumen and Surgut:
- Buses to Tyumen depart at 20:00 on Mondays and Thursdays.
- The Khujand–Surgut route operates on Fridays and Sundays, with departure at 16:40.
“The resumption of these routes strengthens transport links between Tajikistan and Russia, enhancing travel between the two countries,” noted the company.
The revival of this bus route was initially announced in November 2024. Discussions took place during the “Transport Week” in Moscow in talks between Tajikistan’s Minister of Transport Azim Ibrohim and his Russian counterpart Roman Starovoit.
At the time, the ministers also discussed plans to open additional routes from Tajikistan to Russia, including:
· Bokhtar–Moscow
· Khujand–Kazan
· Khujand–Moscow
· Khujand–Yekaterinburg
Azim Ibrohim emphasized the importance of resuming railway services between Dushanbe and Moscow (currently, trains from Dushanbe only travel as far as Volgograd). Opening international bus routes would significantly enhance travel between the two nations.
In 2023, the Tajik carrier Asian Express resumed the Dushanbe–Moscow bus route. However, the service was temporarily suspended and is expected to restart in spring.
