Uzbekistan Railways under fire again for poor sanitary conditions

Kun.uz received a complaint from a citizen who traveled on an Uzbekistan Railways train. According to the passenger, they were in carriage 9 (platzkart class) of the Tashkent–Urgench train, which departed at 22:48 on March 7.

“The condition of the carriages is terrible. The bedding is extremely dirty, and there are cockroaches inside the train. I personally had to swat several of them off myself. The ventilation system is not working properly, and the air inside is polluted. Although a modern ‘bio-toilet’ has been installed, it also had technical issues and stopped functioning,” said the passenger, who wished to remain anonymous.

Photos provided by the passenger show unclean bedding and visible cockroaches in the carriage.

“The increase in ticket prices, the lack of quality control, and the unhygienic condition of the train cars… We tried several times to contact their hotline regarding these issues, but it was useless,” the complaint states.

Additionally, the passenger noted that they had previously attempted to report the situation to the authorities, which is why they had not initially approached the media. However, after receiving no response, they decided to contact Kun.uz.

Kun.uz has sent an official inquiry to Uzbekistan Railways regarding the situation.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time concerns have been raised about the sanitary conditions of Uzbekistan’s trains. Previously, passengers on the Urgench–Volgograd route reported cockroaches, dirty windows, and damaged seats.

Officials have stated that they are investigating the matter and that sanitary inspections will be conducted once the train returns to its station. However, no further updates have been provided since.