Along the Silk Road: the Golden Eagle train departed for Tehran. Train schedule: Tehran Comfortable purchase of train tickets without queues
Brussels again called on Russia to refuse to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And they repeated that Georgia would become a member of NATO. True, specific dates for joining the bloc are still not announced.
160 kilometers of strategy
Some experts say that the option of admitting the ex-Soviet republic to the alliance under a simplified procedure cannot be ruled out (as Greece, Turkey, Iceland, Luxembourg, and in the early 2000s, Albania and Montenegro). In this connection, the Western media are predicting excesses on the borders of Georgia with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, aimed as a major task at provoking demarches from Russia.
“The Alagir-Tskhinvali highway will significantly strengthen Russia’s military-political positions in the Transcaucasus”
Indeed: it is difficult to overestimate the strategic importance of Abkhazia and South Ossetia for the military security of the Russian Federation. Moreover, according to available information, NATO “partner” and intelligence facilities will soon be located in Tsageri, Oni and Mestia. Let us emphasize: in that part of northwestern Georgia that is adjacent to Russian border and at the same time it is a natural wedge between Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It is not for nothing that Tbilisi plans to continue branches from the main one here in 2019–2021 railway line countries (the former Transcaucasian Railway), now limited to the cities of Tkibuli or Jvari.
It is all the more surprising that for the past decade the construction of the Alagir-Tskhinvali railway, 160–175 kilometers long, depending on the route option, which is strategically important for Russia and South Ossetia, has been postponed for obvious reasons. The project was developed 70 years ago, its implementation is already for the fourth time! – was planned in 2009–2012, but never took place.
The situation is similar with the project of a railway-road corridor based on the former Military-Sukhumi road (Cherkessk - Karachaevsk - Amtkel - Sukhumi), which, long before the collapse of the USSR, turned into only a tourist route, and since the 90s it has not actually been used.
In mid-July, the head of the Ministry for North Caucasus Affairs, Sergei Chebotarev, and the President of the Republic of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, discussed in Moscow the progress of the South Ossetian investment program for 2018–2019 (almost 90 percent financed by Russia). But the aforementioned railway project is not included in it and, according to available information, is unlikely to be included in plans until 2025 inclusive.
Meanwhile, since 2017, a steel highway of similar strategic importance for NATO has been in operation: Tbilisi - Akhalkalaki - Kars (Georgia - Turkey). And this line is much more capital-intensive and extensive. In each of these parameters, it is almost three times superior to the Alagir-Tskhinvali railway. In addition, in the first half of the 2020s, it is planned to create new railway connections between Azerbaijan and Georgia and Turkey, the military-strategic profile of which is obvious.
Transit or dead end?
It is appropriate here to cite recent information from the Ossetian portal “Nykhas” (“Discussion”; Moscow - Vladikavkaz - Tskhinvali): “The project received a new perspective in 2008, when Russian Prime Minister V. Putin instructed the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation to consider the possibility of direct railway communication from North Ossetia – Alania to South Ossetia. But there is still no concrete progress in resolving this issue.” Although “there are all the technological possibilities for laying a railway to South Ossetia, and the gas pipeline from the Russian Federation to the Republic of South Ossetia “Dzaurikau - Alagir - Tskhinval” is proof of this.” The economic benefits are further explained: “There are two railway routes from Europe through Russia to Transcaucasia and Western Asia. These are Sochi - Sukhum and Derbent - Baku, bypassing the Main Caucasus ridge. But delivering goods along them takes longer than if the road went through it. And of the highways, only TransKAM operates year-round; the Georgian Military Road is often closed in winter due to snow blockages. And the Voenno-Ossetinskaya, Voenno-Sukhumi and Tbilisi-Grozny highways are practically not functioning.”
But the mentioned steel highways do not connect Russia with its military-political ally, Armenia, due to the inaction of the Abkhaz-Georgian and Armenian-Azerbaijani railways. The transit of civilian and, especially, military cargo into this country through Georgia is fraught with obvious risks. And through Azerbaijan it is generally impossible.
It is also noted that “ railway track between Russia and Transcaucasia through the Republic of South Ossetia would be useful for the economy of North Ossetia. There would also be a prospect of resuming full-fledged work, for example, in the South Ossetian Kvaisinsky mines ( large reserves of lead-zinc ore, polymetals and rare earths. – A. Ch.), and export from there to the Russian Federation would become less expensive.” In addition, “along the entire proposed railway route there are large reserves of roofing and related types of slate.”
It is obvious that the Alagir-Tskhinvali highway will significantly strengthen Moscow’s military-political positions in the Transcaucasus. It will also accelerate the development of large deposits of various raw materials, which are extremely necessary for our defense industry and Russian enterprises producing dual-use products (“Political Geology”). We have to remind ourselves of these factors again, because the situation does not change.
In the master plan for the development of Tskhinvali, “according to the territorial planning scheme of the Republic of South Ossetia there is a railway route from Tskhinvali station to North Ossetia" But when will this project be implemented?
Robert Gagloti, director of the South Ossetian Research Institute named after Z. N. Vaneev, at the end of December 2017 also focused on the transit significance of this artery: “At the business forum in Vladikavkaz in March 2014, “Development of business cooperation between Iran and the South of Russia,” speech , in particular, there was talk about the construction of the Alagir-Tskhinvali railway, which would provide, among other things, the shortest access to Armenia and through Armenia to Iran. That’s why people in Iran are also interested in this project.”
Gagloti drew attention to the geopolitical role of this route for the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Ossetia in the context of the pro-NATO policy of official Tbilisi: “I personally have more than once raised the issue of building the road, its significance in military-political terms.” For “the unpredictability and unreliability of Georgia is well known.” The implementation of the project depends “primarily on the strong-willed decision of the Russian leadership and its military department.”
In May of this year I traveled to Iran. After this wonderful country, I was waiting for a vacation on the coast of Turkey with my family. Returning to Moscow and then flying to Turkey was stupid, given that Iran and Turkey border each other. And then, from someone on the Internet, I learned about interesting train"Tehran - Istanbul", the only one in the world that goes through the lake.
This option really intrigued me. True, the train leaves Tehran only ONE time a week, but in terms of timing, everything worked out well for me.
Train: Tehran - Istanbul.
Departure from Tehran: Thursday, 20-15
Arrival in Ankara: Sunday, 7-30
Arrival in Istanbul: Sunday, 15-45
Travel time: 69 hours
Cost: Tehran - Istanbul, 40 euros.
The journey is interesting. So if there is free time, highly recommend.
The station building itself in the capital of Iran is not very beautiful, but rather functional. 
The waiting room is quite modern and standard 
My ticket. Please note that it immediately shows seats for both the Iranian train and the Turkish one. Seats on the ferry are not fixed.
By the way, what is also unusual is that there is a person sitting in a separate booth who ticks off the passengers that they have arrived, and also pastes a sticker into the tickets indicating the seats. By the way, places are given for a reason. There were only two foreigners on the whole train (that is, not Turks or Iranians) and I was a Czech. Imagine, we were specially given seats in one compartment. 
Iranian conductors meet passengers and also check whether they are boarding the correct carriage.
and settle into the hall where we will spend the night. 
with his Iranian friends 
there is a buffet on the ferry, and since it is Turkish, you could already buy beer, albeit quite expensive 
Of course, it’s uncomfortable to sleep in these chairs, and my Czech friend found a more interesting way 
the ferry took about 8 hours, so at dawn we arrived on the other side of the lake 
sleepy, cold, we get off the ferry 
and patiently wait for the arrival of the Turkish train 
the interior of a Turkish train is simpler and not as comfortable - nice as in an Iranian one
As you probably know, Iran is a resource-rich state, so fuel is inexpensive here. And as a result, transport in Iran is also very cheap. Today I’ll tell you in detail about planes, trains and buses: what they are, where you can get there and how much it costs.
A ton more practical information here:
Aircraft
If you are short on time, then airplanes are just what you need. They will help you cover significant distances in a matter of hours, especially since the prices are very encouraging.
There are several airlines in Iran: the national Iran Air with the largest network of routes, as well as Mahan Air, Aseman Airlines, Kish Airlines and many others that I had never heard of before the trip. Due to sanctions, the aircraft are mostly old, often leased or purchased from Russia, although Lately the government began to purchase new models.
There are a lot of domestic flights, both from Tehran to the regions and intraregional flights. At least easily reached by air.
How to buy tickets?
It is better to buy tickets in advance, for example online. This opportunity appeared quite recently, and it’s very cool. For example, I took tickets from Shiraz to Tehran for $30 (this is 900 km, choice of seat and hot lunch included). The second option is to buy locally from travel agencies or airline offices.
They are the most popular form of transport in the country - they are very cheap and go to all large and medium-sized cities and almost all small towns. The only drawback is the speed limit of 80 km/h and, in general, a high accident rate on the roads due to the driving style of local reckless drivers.
Classes
There are two classes of buses: VIP and mahmooly (normal). VIP buses have 3 wide seats in one row, which recline to a comfortable, almost reclining position, have air conditioning, serve juice and buns - in general, everything you need for a comfortable trip.
VIP bus
Normal buses are slightly older and have standard 4 seats in a row and air conditioning. In terms of price, they are 30-50% cheaper than VIP basses.
Some old copy
Bus prices
The fare is quite low - for example, a VIP bus from Tehran to Isfahan costs $8.5, that is, a little more than a ruble (!) per kilometer.
How to buy tickets?
More than a dozen bus companies provide transportation, so at the bus station, which is called the “terminal” here, you need to go around and ask at different ticket offices for the direction you need. Often, when you arrive, you will be greeted by barkers who will take you to the right place. I didn’t bother too much and rode what was offered, I wasn’t looking for any specific company.
You can buy tickets a week before departure at the bus station, at company offices in the center, or at hotels.
You can try to cope with the Iranian website (on which hotels will book tickets for you for a small commission) - (only in Farsi).
Between popular tourist cities buses run frequently, no problems at all, you can leave even on holidays, but to small towns there may be 1-2 trips a day, and it is advisable to buy a ticket a couple of days in advance.
Trains in Iran
I traveled by train twice: from Tehran to and back. In general, a great thing - saving on hotel costs and delivery to the right place! It is inexpensive, safe and comfortable way moving around the country - I recommend it.
One line runs from the border with Turkey and Armenia through Tehran through the northern part of the country and further to Mashhad. Plus there are several more branches to the south: one to Ahwaz and further to Persian Gulf, the second from Tehran through Isfahan, Yazd and further to Bandar Abbas to the gulf. There is a branch to Shiraz and to Kerman-Zahedan to the Pakistani border.
General diagram of Iranian railways. This does not include areas under construction or planned, only actual ones.
Classes
As a rule, in Iran everything seated trains two classes, plus there is also a recumbent (ghazal). For example, in a convenient night train to Tabriz there are carriages with 4 shelves and with 6 shelves per compartment, the difference in price is 30%. In general, these trains are similar to ours, only the toilet is Asian with a hole in the floor. The price of tickets for first class trains includes lunch or dinner, I overslept mine, so there are no photos :-)
Six-seater coupe
Prices
A shelf in a six-seater compartment for a 12-hour journey from Tehran to Tabriz cost me $10, which is very cheap. The fare from Tehran to Isfahan is $12 for a 7-hour journey.
Fellow travelers on the train
How to buy tickets?
It is better to buy train tickets a day or two before the trip at the railway station or at a travel agency in the city center, although they begin to be sold 30 days before the travel date.
To get an idea of the prices in advance, take a look at the official website or a more human one. On the second one, you can even buy tickets online, but the matter is murky... I recommend buying it on the spot only if you are not going during Novruz.
Minibuses
At close distances of 3-4 hours you can find small minibass, of course all made in Iran. They are not very comfortable, but they are cheap, and you can easily stand them for a couple of hours.
Savary
Savari is a shared taxi for 3-4 people. Almost everywhere where the drive is no more than 3 hours, you can find such transport. Their parking lots are located near bus stations or at interchanges, and the cost is 2 times higher than that of minibuses or regular buses, but much faster. To find them, just ask the local "savari" and your direction. I traveled like this from Shiraz to Marvdasht when I was traveling to.
Local transport
Metro
The metro is fully operational in Tehran, there are as many as 7 lines and it is very easy to move around the city. The metro is being built in Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz, and although some stations are operational, it is inconvenient to use. The first and last carriages are for women only.
Buses
In all major cities walk Shuttle Buses, where travel costs $0.3-0.5. Several times I was driven for free out of the kindness of their hearts. The numbers and route are only in Farsi, with rare exceptions, so you have to ask the locals, but in general you can travel. The buses are similarly segregated by gender - women sit at the back of the bus.
City bus in Isfahan
Taxi
Taxis in Iranian cities are cheap, and using them in a large group is very profitable and convenient. There are so-called shuttle taxis that lay out a route and drive between the main squares and collect 4-5 people.
There is also a regular taxi called dar baste, that is, “close the door.” It may happen that you will take a shared taxi, and when everyone gets out the driver will ask you “dar baste?”, which means we are not taking anyone else, in which case you will have to pay a little more. If you don’t agree, say “na dar baste,” that is, without closing the door.
For example, I’ll say that I went from the center of Shiraz to the airport for $2.5, although I didn’t catch it on the main street.
That's all about ways to travel around Iran. Happy travels!
Travel time 3 hours 50 minutes. The departure tax from Iran is 70 thousand Iranian rials and is usually included in the air ticket price. If the ticket is purchased in Iran, you may have to pay a fee at the National Bank of Iran (Melli bank), which has branches at all airports in the country.
The Azerbaijani airline Azerbaijan Airlines offers transit flights to Iran via Baku, which are often cheaper than a direct flight.
In addition, connecting flights to the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad are offered by Gulf airlines: Qatar Airways (hub - Doha, Qatar), Ethihad Airlines (hub - Abu Dhabi, UAE), Gulf Air (hub - Manama, Bahrain) , Jazeera Airways (hub - Kuwait City, Kuwait), Air Arabia (hub - Sharjah, UAE).
Relatively inexpensive flights to Iran are available from the Syrian airline Syrian Arab Airlines from Damascus and Turkish Airlines from Istanbul. In both cases, you can purchase tickets for a price not exceeding $300 round trip.
By train
From Turkey
Once a week, a train departs from Heydarpasa Station in Istanbul to Tehran. It goes through Ankara, Van, Tabriz. Travel time is 60-65 hours, the fare depends on the class of carriage and varies from $45 to $100.
From Syria
The Aleppo - Tehran train departs weekly. Travel time is more than 70 hours, transit through the territory of Turkey. The fare is $50-80 depending on the class.
From Pakistan
The Zahedan - Quetta train runs twice a week. The journey takes about 20 hours.
From Azerbaijan
It is planned to open a new line Baku - Tehran in the near future. Perhaps a Moscow-Baku-Tehran carriage will be attached to this train.
By car and bus
Iran has road border crossings with all neighboring countries.
With Turkey
Gurbulak - Bazargan, Yuksekova - Sero and Kapikoy - Khvoy.With Azerbaijan
Jolfa / Jolfa, Astara - Astara and Bilyasuvar - Bilyasuvar.With Armenia
Noordoz – Karchevan (Noordoz / Karchevan).With Turkmenistan
Sarakhs - Sarakhs (Sarakhs / Saraghs).With Afghanistan
Taybad - Islam Ghale (Taybad / Eslam Ghale).With Iraq
Khosravi. This is the only operational border crossing between Iran and Iraq, and it is closed during periods of escalation of the confrontation in Iraq.By sea
Permanent ferry service carried out by the state Iranian company IRISL (Islamic republic of Iran shipping company) in the following areas:
- Bandar Abbas - Sharjah (UAE),
- Bandar Abbas - Dubai (UAE),
- Bandar Abbas - Manama (Bahrain),
- Bender-Anzeli - Baku (Azerbaijan).
The minimum cost of a ticket for each direction is $45-70 one way, depending on the chosen class.
TASHKENT, November 11 – Sputnik, Anton Kurilkin. Russian company Russian Railways Tour and the British Golden Eagle Luxury Trains organized a multi-day rail journey from Moscow to Tehran. A Sputnik correspondent conducted tourist composition, and at the same time looked inside the luxury carriages of this hotel on wheels.
20 citizens of Great Britain, the United States, Spain, Canada, the Republic of Taiwan, China and South Africa were sent on an 18-day trip from the Russian capital. They will be joined by 30 tourists from Australia in Tashkent.
The train route passes through Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Visiting Uzbekistan is an important part tourism program. The train will stop in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. In Tashkent, tourists will look at the most ancient manuscript of the Koran, in Samarkand they will become spectators of a light show, and in Bukhara and Khiva they will see the sights of the city, in particular, the Mir-Arab madrasah.
Sputnik/Stringer
Before this, the company had already organized trips to Uzbekistan and Iran. The decision to combine routes, as Marina Linke, executive director of Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, said, was made after the aggravation of the situation in Turkish Kurdistan.
In general, the British company has been working with Uzbekistan for a long time. According to Marina Linke, cooperation began in 1998.
“We have been working with Uzbekistan since 1998. The success in cooperation is excellent. We started with one train a year, and now we send six trains. We always visit Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. This route is mainly chosen by tourists from the USA, Britain, Australia and South Africa. Sometimes tourists come from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. But mostly from English-speaking countries,” Linke commented.
Indeed, among the passengers in the waiting room you will hardly find Russian speakers - mostly these are elderly and well-dressed subjects of the Queen of England or citizens of the European Union. One of the passengers on the train, a resident of London, is not in Russia for the first time and therefore is dressed for the November weather - in a fur coat and a fur hat.
Sputnik/Stringer
But another tourist from the United Kingdom was clearly not prepared for the Moscow weather - he walks along the platform in a jacket, with a light raincoat thrown over his arm. Pinned to the lapel of his jacket is a faux red poppy, a symbol of the First World War. However, neither the London resident nor the gentleman with a poppy on his lapel guessed the weather - for the second day in Moscow, a mixture of icy water and snow was pouring from the sky, which pretty much spoiled the impression of the train leaving.
A quintet with wind instruments, dressed in stylized military overcoats, had to hide under a canopy. Russian Empire coats and caps, young people alternately play “Katyusha” and “It’s time to hit the road.” I kept waiting for them to perform the traditional “Farewell of the Slavic Woman,” but instead the head of the boy band stops the action and begins to explain to his henchmen something about three-quarters. Well, we go inside the train.The outside of the train itself is no different from a regular one. passenger train- except that the sides of the dark blue carriages are decorated with the words Golden Eagle painted in gold paint and stylized iron eagles.
Sputnik/Stringer
The main differences from a regular passenger train are inside. There are 11 carriages in total, and only six of them are passenger cars. 4 carriages belong to the so-called Silver class - these are five-compartment carriages with double rooms (I dare not call them ordinary compartments) and private bathrooms. Richer passengers travel in Gold carriages - they have more spacious rooms. And finally, the most important tourists will travel in an Imperial class carriage.
In fact, the classes of carriages differ only in two things - the size of the room and the number of drinks included in the price at the bar. All passengers are greeted in the compartment with the same “welcome kit” - brochures on English language, two bottles of water and a small bottle of Russian vodka.
Passengers of all classes have fun and eat together - there is a bar car and a dining car for this purpose. In addition to a counter with a talkative bartender who teaches foreigners Russian, the bar has a bookcase with books and even a real Yamaha piano.
Sputnik/Stringer
Two carriages on the train are service cars; food is prepared in them for passengers and the train staff live there. According to the tour organizers, the train is completely autonomous - the food reserves are more than enough for the entire trip, and the electricity is generated by a diesel generator car.
The Golden Eagle train, which British organizers lease from Russian Railways, typically consists of 19 carriages. Their number had to be reduced to 11 due to a long-standing decision of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I - it was by his order that the width of the railway gauge in Russia is wider than the European one. Suitable bogies for switching to the Iranian gauge were found on the border of Iran and Turkmenistan in the city of Serakhs - these wheelsets were once intended for the Tehran-Almaty tourist train. But the competitor of the Golden Eagle never passed along this route, and 11 pairs of trolleys were gathering dust on the border of Turkmenistan and Iran, as if specially awaiting the arrival of the Russian-British train.
Sputnik/Stringer
All tickets for the current trip along the route have already been sold out. In 2017, the train will travel along this route twice - in March and November. The cost of the Persian Odyssey tour on the Golden Eagle train is a minimum of 19,595 euros - this includes the train ride, meals, excursion program, transfers and accommodation in five-star hotels.
