ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 16. The volume of
cargo transportation by rail in Kazakhstan amounted to 61.6 million
tons from January through February 2024, Trend reports.
The country’s Bureau of National Statistics’ data shows that
this is 6.1 percent less than the level of the same period of
2023.
At the same time, cargo turnover by rail for the above period
amounted to 48.8 billion ton-kilometers, which is 8.2 percent less
than from January through February 2023.
Moreover, from January through February 2024, 3.5 million
passengers were transported by rail. This figure exceeds the same
period in 2023 by 10.2 percent.
In addition to this, passenger turnover for the above period
amounted to 2.5 billion passenger-kilometers, which is 2.2 percent
more than from January through February 2023.
Meanwhile, the volume of cargo transportation by rail in
Kazakhstan amounted to 416.4 million tons from January through
December 2023. This is 2.8 percent more than from January through
December 2022.
At the same time, cargo turnover by rail for the above period
amounted to 326.8 billion ton-kilometers, which is 4.8 percent more
than in the same period in 2022.
To note, the implementation of several large-scale projects
began in the field of railway transport in Kazakhstan in 2023.
According to government data, the construction of a railway line
bypassing the Almaty station (74 km) and the Darbaza – Maktaaral
line (152 km) began in November. The first will shorten goods
delivery time by 24 hours and alleviate the Almaty railway junction
by 40 percent, while the second will enhance throughput in the
direction of Central Asia by 10 million tons.
In addition, work on the Bakhty-Ayagoz railway line, which will
span 272 kilometers, began in December. The realization of this
project will enhance freight turnover between Kazakhstan and China
by 20 million tons.
In general, over the next 3 years, more than 1,300 km of new
railways will be built in the country.
Moreover, in 2023, 133 locomotives were purchased, which will
renew the fleet of Kazakhstan’s locomotives by 6 percent and will
reduce the level of wear and tear to 52 percent.
To improve the convenience of passengers, 856 passenger cars are
being purchased. This year, 100 of them have already started
operating on existing routes. As a result, the depreciation of the
fleet was reduced from 47 percent to 45 percent.