Silk Route by Rail

"Peter Neville-Hadley" <look.DeleteThis@the.address.below> wrote in message
news:1iatshm.vgmu2k67uay4N%look@the.address.below...
> Sapphyre <sapphyre_66.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm just wondering, does the silk route that runs from Alamaty to
>> Beijing still operate? I have seen people posting accounts of
>> travelling the silk route, but the border between China and Kazakstan
>> is sometimes close (for sure to road travellers, not sure how that
>> affects trains).
>>
>> So I guess I'm wondering if the Alamaty-Urumqi train still operates...
>
> There were myriad 'silk routes'. Trade went in every direction it could
> do and there are other passes between Kazakhstan and China that would
> count as 'silk routes', too.
>
> However, train N896 leaves Almaty at 20.55 Kazakh time every Monday, and
> arrives in Urumqi every Wednesday at 07.08 Beijing time.


There is also a Saturday train.

http://www.seat61.com/SilkRoute.htm
www.tourasia.kz/train.pdf
http://www.railways.kz/passangers/time-table/ (Russian)

Regards
Gerry
 >> Stay informed about: Silk Route by Rail 

Gerald Oliver Swift <nowayjose DeleteThis @nowhere.com> wrote:

> There is also a Saturday train.

I was puzzling about that because there always used to be two and I
thought they must have cut one out, although that would be surprising.

Turns out the Chinese timetable now choses to list the Kazakh trains
separately from the Chinese ones and I'd just failed to read the next
line. The Monday train is the Chinese one and the Saturday the Kazakh
one. I think all three times I've crossed I've taken the Kazakh one.

Peter N-H
http://www.datasinica.com
 >> Stay informed about: Silk Route by Rail 

On Jan 17, 1:44 am, "Gerald Oliver Swift" <nowayj... RemoveThis @nowhere.com>
wrote:
> "Peter Neville-Hadley" <l... RemoveThis @the.address.below> wrote in message
>
> news:1iatshm.vgmu2k67uay4N%look@the.address.below...
>
>
>
>
>
> > Sapphyre <sapphyre... RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >> I'm just wondering, does the silk route that runs from Alamaty to
> >> Beijing still operate? I have seen people posting accounts of
> >> travelling the silk route, but the border between China and Kazakstan
> >> is sometimes close (for sure to road travellers, not sure how that
> >> affects trains).
>
> >> So I guess I'm wondering if the Alamaty-Urumqi train still operates...
>
> > There were myriad 'silk routes'. Trade went in every direction it could
> > do and there are other passes between Kazakhstan and China that would
> > count as 'silk routes', too.
>
> > However, train N896 leaves Almaty at 20.55 Kazakh time every Monday, and
> > arrives in Urumqi every Wednesday at 07.08 Beijing time.
>
> There is also a Saturday train.
>
> http://www.seat61.com/SilkRoute.htmwww.tourasia.kz/train.pdfhttp://www...ilways.(Russian)
>
> Regards
> Gerry- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I went to the Kazakh site that's in Russian and got a train timetable,
but no trains to Urumqi so far as I've found. But thanks for the link,
since I've only been able to find information on Russian trains. So I
know the Trans-Siberian route, but I would like to visit Almaty and
Tashkent on the return journey, and travel from Almaty to Urumqi.
 >> Stay informed about: Silk Route by Rail 

Sapphyre <sapphyre_66.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote:

> but I would like to visit Almaty and
> Tashkent on the return journey, and travel from Almaty to Urumqi.

In addition to the two trains already mentioned (and while I haven't
looked at the websites mentioned the information I provided comes from a
hard copy of the latest Chinese rail timetable) there are bus services
every day except Sunday that connect Almaty to Urumqi in 24 hours. This
is not a difficult crossing, but it might be wise to have Chinese visas
before reaching Almaty. They can be bought there, but not (when I last
tried) at any speed, and service can be unreliable.

Peter N-H
http://www.datasinica.com
 >> Stay informed about: Silk Route by Rail