Part two of my photo series featuring the Tashkent, Uzbekistan metro system – Catch up with Part One Here.
If the Soviet stations felt like stepping into a museum, the newer stations felt like stepping into the future. Where the older platforms leaned on ornate tilework and cultural history, these were all about geometry, clean angles, and bold shapes. A few of them felt almost architectural in a sci-fi or futuristic way, like someone imagined what a metro station might look like in 50 years.
It was also over 100 degrees above ground most days, which made the underground stations a comfortable place to slow down, poke around, and take photos. There were moments in between trains when the stations cleared out of people (aside from the ever present guards) and the underground spaces became downright peaceful.
The contrast between old and new on this system is genuinely striking. Same city, same trains, completely different worlds and art/architecture styles depending on which stop you get off at.
At the very end of the Green Line I found myself at the Turkiston Station and realized I was only a 30 minute drive from the Kazakhstan border – fun to be so close to another country and tempting to grab a taxi to the border, but I’ll save a visit for my next trip.
[click to enlarge photos]Beruniy
Oybek
Dostlik
Bodomzor
Mashinasozlar
Yunusobod
Chorsu
Shahriston
Turkiston
Check out Part 3, featuring my favorite station on the entire system.