Direct passenger rail service between Dushanbe and Moscow will resume on June 21, marking the restoration of a route that was suspended six years ago, Tajik Railways and Russian Railways announced.
The State Unitary Enterprise (sue) Rohi Ohani Tojikiston (Tajik Railways), in cooperation with Russian Railways Holding, is restarting the service following its suspension in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport, the first passenger train No. 423/424 on the Dushanbe–Moscow route is scheduled to depart on June 21. Tickets for the inaugural journey are already on sale.
Under the schedule, trains from Dushanbe will depart on Sundays at 03:25 local time and arrive at Moscow’s Paveletsky Railway Station on Wednesdays at 22:08 Moscow time.
The first return service from Moscow is scheduled for June 25, with departures on Thursdays at 06:05 Moscow time and arrival in Dushanbe on Mondays at 02:48 local time.
The journey will take approximately four days and will pass through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
Route and stops
Along the route, the train will stop at several cities, including Bukhara, Nukus, Kungrad, Kandyagash, Aktobe, Sol-Iletsk, Orenburg, Samara, Syzran, Kuznetsk, Penza, Ryazhsk, Skopin, Ozherelye, and other localities, allowing passengers to embark and disembark.
Ticket prices and schedule
Ticket sales for departures from Dushanbe began in advance, with bookings available up to 45 days before travel. Sales from Moscow are expected to open later.
The Dushanbe–Moscow train will operate once every two weeks.
Ticket prices for the June 21 departure are set at 2,617.6 somoni (20,089 rubles) for a general compartment and 3,713.42 somoni (28,499 rubles) for a купе (coupe).
Broader rail connections
Russian Railways said the restoration of the direct Dushanbe–Moscow connection was made at the request of Tajik railway authorities and coordinated with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
At present, there are three passenger trains operated by SUE Tajik Railways (the state-owned national railway operator of Tajikistan) running between Tajikistan and Russia:: No. 319/320 Kulob–Volzhsky, No. 329/330 Dushanbe–Volzhsky, and No. 359/360 Khujand–Volzhsky.
Each of them operates once a week. These services continue to provide key transport links for labor migrants and travelers between the two countries.
