Kazakhstan railway news
News about railway and urban rail infrastructure, operations, policy and the supply industry in Kazakhstan.
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Metro Report InternationalAstana light metro train production underway
KAZAKHSTAN: Production of 19 four-car trainsets for Astana’s future elevated light metro line is underway at the CRRC Tangshan plant in China. The 60 m long 1 520 mm gauge trainsets will have a capacity of more than 600 passengers at 6/m2. They will be equipped ...
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NewsIndia to Kazakhstan sea and rail container service launched
ASIA: A rail and sea freight service from India to Kazakhstan has been developed by Kazakhstan’s KTZ Kedentransservice, Uzbekistan’s UTY subsidiary Uztemiryulkonteyner and Transport & Logistics Centre of Turkmenistan The 12 containers of ceramic tiles left the Indian port of Mundra in early March and will ...
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NewsHybrid shunting locomotive handed over
KAZAKHSTAN: Chinese manufacturer CRRC has handed over a diesel hybrid shunting locomotive built for national railway KTZ. KTZ said its shunting locomotives operate for an average of 4 to 6 h per day, and the use of hybrid technology would provide fuel savings. At the handover ...
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Metro Report InternationalKazakhstan: Extending the reach of the Almaty metro
The single metro line in the former capital of Kazakhstan is being extended in several phases while two light rail routes are planned in the medium term. Vladimir Waldin reports.
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NewsCRRC rolls out main line locomotive for Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN: The first TE36A main line diesel locomotive for national railway KTZ has been rolled out at CRRC Dalian’s factory in China. In October 2023 KTZ and CRRC signed a US$1·3bn framework agreement covering the supply of up to 100 main line and 100 shunting locomotives. ...
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NewsAlstom to build new type of loco in Astana
KAZAKHSTAN: An agreement for the production of KZ6A electric freight locomotives at the EKZ factory in Astana was signed by Alstom and national railway KTZ during Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to France on November 5. Alstom and KTZ also signed an amendment to a ...
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Metro Report InternationalPavlodar to order battery trams
KAZAKHSTAN: The city of Pavlodar is planning to acquire up to 25 energy-efficient trams with traction batteries to help renew its fleet. The order will be financed with a €10m loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and a €4m loan from the Clean ...
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NewsKazakhstan tests double-stack container transport
KAZAKHSTAN: The national railway’s multimodal logistics subsidiary KTZ Express has tested the movement of double-stacked containers from the Korgas/Altynkol border crossing with China to Zhetigen and back. The test was undertaken with a view to increasing throughput on the route to reduce logistics costs and speed ...
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NewsKTZ and Wabtec finalise US$405m locomotive order
KAZAKHSTAN: Wabtec has finalised a US$405m agreement to supply Evolution Series ES44ACi (TE33A) diesel locomotives to national railway KTZ, which is upgrading its ageing fleet to meet growing demand. The locos will be built at Wabtec’s LKZ plant in Astana, which employs over 700 people. Deliveries ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst tram delivered for Temirtau tramway revival
KAZAKHSTAN: The first tram has been delivered for the reopening of the tramway which links the Temirtau steelworks to the city. The 11 km line was included in the deal when steelmaker company Qarmet acquired the steelworks from ArcelorMittal Steel in December ...
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NewsLNG locomotive fuel agreement signed
KAZAKHSTAN: A framework agreement for the use of liquefied natural gas instead of diesel to fuel locomotives has been signed by national railway KTZ, loco manufacturer Wabtec and Canada-based central Asian energy company Condor Energies. In 2022 KTZ and Wabtec signed a memorandum of understanding for ...
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NewsKazakh locomotive assembly plant planned
KAZAKHSTAN: Locomotive maintenance company Kamkor Locomotiv and the Akmola region have signed an agreement to build a 47bn tenge locomotive assembly plant in Atbasar. Announcing the project on August 12, Kamkor Locomotiv said this would meet modern requirements and have an annual capacity of up to ...
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NewsExpedited rail freight service cuts China – Uzbekistan transit time
ASIA: An expedited freight service making use of upgraded border facilities has transported containers 4 486 km from Xi’an in China to Toshkent in Uzbekistan in what Kazakh national railway KTZ says is a record five days. The service was organised within a framework for the ...
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NewsLiebherr enters Kazakh rail market with air-conditioning order
KAZAKHSTAN: Stadler has awarded Liebherr Transportation Systems (China) Co a contract to supply 550 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems by 2030 for installation on sleeping and couchette cars ordered by national railway KTZ. In December 2022 Stadler signed contracts to supply KTZ with various types of ...
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In depthKazakhstan: Transit freight drives KTZ expansion
New line construction and fleet renewals have cemented Kazakhstan’s position as a key node in the Eurasian transit market. Further expansion is now in hand, with more investment planned by 2030, reports Vladimir Waldin.
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In depthRail Logistics: Kazakhstan eyes transit corridor growth
Sitting astride several Eurasian landbridge corridors, Kazakhstan has been well placed to develop rail freight flows between China and Europe, as well as north-south connections to India and South Asia. Vladimir Waldin investigates.
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NewsKTZ begins taking delivery of CRRC locomotives
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ has taken delivery of the first four of up to 200 locomotives which are to be supplied by CRRC under a US$1·3bn framework agreement signed when Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited China last October. The CKD6S diesel shunting locos being supplied by ...
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Metro Report InternationalTemirtau tramway reopening project gets underway
KAZAKHSTAN: Steelmaker Qarmet has begun work to reopen the 11 km tramway in Temirtau which was included in its acquisition of the local steelworks from ArcelorMittal Steel in December. Tram operations has been suspended in February 2023 when the then owner said the line was unprofitable ...
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NewsXi’an – Almaty passenger train planned
ASIA: Representatives of Kazak national railway KTZ have begun discussions with Chinese regional officials over the launch of a planned passenger service between Xi’an and Almaty. The tourist-oriented service would operate via the Korgas border crossing, which is already used by regular Urumqi – Almaty-2 passenger ...
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NewsWork begins on third Kazakhstan – China railway
KAZAKHSTAN: Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov has formally launched the construction of a third cross-border railway link to China. The 272 km double-track line from Ayagoz to Bakhty and a new border crossing near Tacheng in northern Xinjiang is scheduled to open in 2027. It would connect ...