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.