Silk Road by train
Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly train now links Silk Road cities across three countries, creating a fresh overland route for Central Asia rail travel (thetraveler.org). The connection opens new itinerary possibilities for multi‑country cultural trips across the historic trade corridor (thetraveler.org).
The extended Jibek Joly itinerary is scheduled to run from March 20 to March 25, 2026. (astanatimes.com) The service will begin and end in Almaty and include stops in Turkestan, Samarkand, Dushanbe and Tashkent on the March loop. (astanatimes.com) Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) is leading the project, with reported coordination from Uzbekistan Railways and support from Kazakhstan’s tourism authorities. (travelandtourworld.com) The Jibek Joly tourist consist comprises five carriages—four compartment sleeping cars and one restaurant carriage—according to KTZ descriptions. (astanatimes.com) Organizers say the project has carried over 1,000 tourists across previous seasons, with individual trips reported at 112, 128 and 345 passengers on recent runs. ( ) The packaged tour price for the March itinerary was published at about $618 for adults and $500 for children under 15, and the package includes guided excursions, museum entry tickets and transfers. (qazaq24.com) Authorities timed the extended voyage to coincide with Nauryz (the spring new year) and the end of Ramadan to showcase local festivities along the route. ( ) Regional coverage frames the March run as the first packaged, branded rail tour to connect Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in a single itinerary, marking a deliberate move to market a tri‑national Silk Road product. (thetraveler.org)
