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 2023. Trams had been replaced by buses in February 2023 when the then owner said the line was unprofitable and required expensive works which were beyond the means of the local council.
Qarmet agreed to rehabilitate the line at a cost of 10bn tenge.
Eight partially low-floor four-axle trams are being supplied by the QazTehna plant in Saran, which primarily produces CNG and battery powered buses using kits supplied by Chinese company Yutong.
The trams will have air-conditioning and heating systems and LED lighting. Each car will have its own livery based on different facilities of the steel plant and the city of Temirtau.
Qarmet is working with the Temirtau Higher Polytechnic College to recruit tram drivers, with the first cohort of 12 to begin training during October.
