22 hours on the MYSTERIOUS sleeper train you’ve never heard of... 

The dust coming out of that pillow ...😵‍💫

Yes please. Love to see the regional Talgo

I loved how the dust flew out of the pillow when you smacked it! I guess the attendant wasn’t cleaning while you waited!

Once again: Thank you for a great video! I'm 64, but if I was your age, you'd inspire me to do what you're doing. 🙂 Take care! cheers, Per, Denmark

I was pretty surprised on how good the tracks seemed to be maintained (espacially comparing to other centrail eastern countrys)

You aren't allowed to fiilm the Qamchiq Tunnel for the same reason you can't film The Chorvoq Dam: It's really important strategic infrastructure and they are terrified of terror attacks. The tunnel is one of the only means of connecting the Fergana valley (which produces most of the countries food) to the rest of the country. The Dam also has really high security because if it had a hole put in it Tashkent would be flooded in 10 minutes.

The station facades have nice consistent looks, I like that bit of apparent solid masonry framing the glass panels, leaves a better impression than simple concrete glass and metal "international style" boxes

I rode Uzbek trains from Khiva all the way back to Tashkent on 3 different days last year. It was an amazing experience! I will never forget the views over the desert as the sun started to set, seeing no signs of civilization from the window in any direction. The train was packed to the brim and some locals sang beautifully and played the guitar. The only thing I regret was taking an upper bed in the cheapest class: I thought I was about to pass out from the heat before the train finally started moving and I could breathe some fresh air.

Very nice pronouciation of Zhuzhou! 9/10 from a Chinese!

World is so big and diverse. May all countries get the prosperity for a better quality of life :)

I had 2 trips on the Afrosiyob in April 2024 from Bukhara to Samarkand and from Samarkand to Tashkent. The train is nice with lots of legroom even in economy class and an overall comfortable experience.

was surprised to see that the man in front of you at the ticket check was carrying a Hema bag. Hema is a Dutch retail chain.

This video deserves more views ❤

missed your commentary about trains man. I always look forward to your videos

I had a trip to Uzbekistan in 2012 so things may have changed, but we took the Talgo from Samarkand to Tashkent which was splendid, peculiarly like a European train although the landscape through the windows was very foreign - a shepherd on horseback looking after a flock, for instance. We also went from Tashkent to Ferghana and back by road, saw much of your desert landscapes on desert/mountain roads, and often overlooked the timur yol (iron road) as we drove along. I was very struck by the amount of commercial traffic, trucks going one way with Belgian plates, the other way with Chinese plates. It's a truly strange part of the world for us western Europeans. Thanks for the video!

I would love to see a review of the Uzbek Talgo and I think @Noel Philips would like to do this trip across Uzbekistan

Been to Uzbekistan. Went to Tashkent, Buhara, Samarkand, and Xiva. Really enjoyed it. Love the video.

Old soviet trains same as ours, except these look mint. The Uzbekistanis love their trains I guess.

I'm reminded of my trip in an Uzbek sleeping-car on the Turksib from Barnaul to Almaty in 2008. The airconditioning was broken or nonexistent and the compartment window could not be opened. Absolutely brutal. And the attendant sometimes collected trash and threw it out of the only window that could be opened (corridor side). I see they have more recent trains like the Talgo but the old ones still exist. Shouldn't travel there in the summer then. I hear the winter can be as cold as the summer is hot. By the way I notice in this video that most of the station buildings look quite new, so it seems they do invest in the railways. And maybe at some point will have new night trains as well.

I am at abou 14 minutes in now and these stations look all incredible. absolutely clean with layouts like in a video game. almost surreal

15:47 These won't be there for much longer as the Uzbek Railways ordered 30 new units from Skoda with delivery starting next year.

What a great trip and great experience. This trip definitely full of surprises. Can't wait for you to taking Aforsyob Train

Amazing video as always mate! You should do "sleepers train reviews more often!❤

Secrecy concerning tunnels seems to be a thing in countries with a 'less then stellar' reputation concerning democracy. I remember taking a bus in Egypt from Cairo to Sharm al-Shaykh: where (in order to pass through the Suez Canal road tunnel) everybody had to disembark, take their luggage from the baggage-hold and be subjected to a passport check and manual suitcase inspection. The bus then going through multiple security barriers manned with heavily armoured guards. Probably a case of overblown security-theatre and different security and police organisations trying to one-up eachother.

Wow this looks incredible!

Fantastic video super albs your channel rocks

What shocks me is about how unique trains can be in ex-USSR countries! Great video!

In 18:59, the high speed train appears on stage. It's a Spanish Talgo (Afrosiyob service), up to 250 km/h.

Looks beautiful, although I think the heat would probably get to me, so I don't think I'll be able to do this type of journey in person. Oh well, this is why I like watching your videos.

I have just came across your site, and I am really enjoying your videos. Keep up the great work ✨

It certainly looked like an incredible trip across a part of the world I guess I will never see.

I'd love to see a video on the Talgo train. Superb video. It's great to see these remote places way off the beaten track. I was surprised on how modern looking the railway infrastructure is.

They should really build level boarding platforms at this point since trains are good

You are the consummate guide and historian. Thanks.👋

a video on the talgo would be great

4:27 Woo-hoo! No bribe!

Breathtaking scenery🤩🤩🤩🤩 and a satisfying trip

Oh these are great I wish I could ride them too😕😢

These old Ammendorfer "Liefert" (delivers)!

Ha ! I did not expect one of my comments to be one day featured in one of your videos... I indeed visited Uzbekistan by train in 2017, travelled there all the way by train from Belgium. Visited Taskent, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Termez, and tbe Ferghana valley. The Khiva line and station did not exist yet, and the Angren-Pop line and tunnel just opened a few months before. When Uzbekistan became an independent country, its rail network was broken in five different sectors that could only be joined together via border crossings. It took them 25 years to transform this mess into a united network. This tunnel was the last missing link.

Love the reference to the "venerable elektrichka". Brings back good memories (and a few not-so-good ones)

Thank you.

Did you wake up coughing because of the dust and mites in the pillow? Taking that journey was certainly an interesting experience! Thanks for the video. 🙂👍

Quite impressive. Were the employees friendly or snarly?

4:04 "Made in Germany" as always XD

Absolutely, I would like to watch a vlog on the high speed train you mentioned

Just a little bit of correction: Namangan is actually the second largest city in Uzbekistan.

ooh God! people that invite themselves into my space that would be a nightmare for me.

I was actually on part of this route in 2016, only between Tashkent and Pop though as the day we were travelling the train to Namangan wasn't running. So we had a company car meet us there and drive us the rest of the way. Interestingly the blind was broken in the compartment on the way there so they couldn't actually close it all the way when we were going through the tunnel, despite their best efforts.

Epic ❤

1:37 Boa tarde boa viagem ai trem cama

“Surprise picnic” 😂😂😂

I want a podstakannik.

You must make a video where you ride the flying scotsman in the uk!! That wound be awsome!!

Interesting

IMO the Kon station was simply a checkpoint for some freight trains. In my country there's also a station were trains climb a steep gradient up to some altitude and then stepping down again before that station so all the trains regardless the class & numerical order are require mandatory stop to check the train brakes as whole unit not the loco brake only

I would like you to do a review on the afrosiyob talgo train

For your next sleeper train review, please ride on the amrit Bharat express which is India’s newest sleeper train.

💛💛💛

Super cool

Which speedometer app do you use?

To be honest this route looks like sth selfmade in Transport Fever 2

I hope you didn't sweat and hat enough water :)

Superalbs, how did you manage the language barrier? Do you speak any Russian?

Its been a while since the last upload, what happened?

How hard was it to get into Uzbekistan? I wouldn’t mind going there to see the scenery and film the trains there if I had a camera. I can’t find any videos of railfanning in Uzbekistan and if I could I would want to change that

Does anyone know, why is there such huge amount of those tiny japanese-like vans??

Have you ever heard of máv's Fecske Bhv?

The English name of the tunnel in question per Wikipedia is Kamchiq Tunnel 1:26 "To the Stationintroduction". LOL, the hell?

That was pretty good. I've been on worse. If you are doing real "travel" this works. TY for the video.

I see you could connect your phone - into (the) net.😄

hoe komt een hema tas daar nou

Hi just found your site great video and what a ridiculous price so cheap compared to here in France ,

Would you like to ride the Bicol Express in the Philippines once the South Long Haul project is finished?

I would rot on that train......

Why haven’t you been uploading?

You missed a trick with the tunnel, why didn't you leave a small gap in the window blinds to have a look

Mughal King Babur was from Ferghana Valley

Thankfull I won’t be going there not sure my wheelchair would cope with the environment! 😂

Hey bro! I love your vids. Why don't you try the Vietnam sleeper train. It has reasonable price and also comfort that will make you happy. I'm a Vietnamese btw

And Albie was never seen again.

Afrosiyob 👇

10:40 Since these are technical stations, there should be no new passengers on them, which means there is no one to sell tickets there, respectively, the train does not stop. In most cases, these stations are intended for freight trains

Yes make video of 250 km hr train.

Great vlog! 🫡 Didn’t Bald & Bankrupt do this trip?? 😎

Finally an new video!

I really love your videos, and I don't mean to hate, but please, do something about your music choice. The no copyright electronic music sounds very unfitting and can get annoying at times.

Why not tell everybody where their word for Station comes from?

Is Uzbekistan the country where government employees and students would always be rounded up to go work on the cotton fields? Apparently 'officials' would show up in Govt offices, schools etc. rounding up people to go pick cotton and the local population hated it. I remember it was talked about in one of the diplomatic cables that Wikileaks published.

as far as I remember, immediately after the Fall of the USSR the Fergana Valley was basically a warzone due to an ongoing boarder dispute, with elements of attempted Ethnic cleansing on both sides... (maybe somewhat thanks to the Chinese mediation) this is a much more peaceful place now, but tensions between various local groups do occasionally flare up, requiring a constant "peacekeeping presence" in some parts of the district... of the tunnel mystery, I guess there is a fear of bombs being planted by Tajik insurgents (fighting against control of the territory by Uzbekistan) or by radical Islamist groups... both are realistic threats to contend with. though, some of these measures, it is also possible, are due to dangerous gasses within the tunnel. I know that has been a problem with other tunneling in the area before (my uncle being head of one of the Tunnel-Building administrations for the region during the Soviet period had to regularly deal with balancing that issue and whatever pressure to built they were getting from Moscow, it is possible, that the new administration decided to cut a few corners...) with the blinds being closed to prevent people from seeing any of the cracks and failures they were trying to mend.

Bro, they probably don't like you booking all the beds in the coupe. 😅 Didin't they ask you for extra money before?

Still waiting for Indonesia Suite class/Panoramic and Aussie The Ghan

Love your vids, great to see rail options from all over the world in such detail. But man when you say $18 for 20 hours on a train is "pretty good" value it's jarring. Would it be great value if they paid you to go?

i guess you dont really like afganistan :D

You could save yourself some time and make these videos pleasanter to wath by not bother to add "music" to the sections where you are not speaking.

Mate, the only interesting thing on the train and you didn't know it was there. Sorry, I laughed out loud when you said that. It's no good, you'll have to go again and report back on the restaurant car.

Your exploration of the train was not that thorough as you missed the dining car, first thing I look for. What's with the locking the loos, we all know not to use in a station when not a vacuum one, they were standard in UK up to about 25 years ago. Average speed of 40mph is snail pace, even the cars were going quicker.

Looks better then the UK transport system and this is meant to be a third world country !

Funny how these folks don’t try and cross channel illegally!

its pronounced pri-vacy not pre-vacy