Think Railways

Kazakhstan intends to invest USD 40 billion in transport projects in by 2020 as part of the project to transform the country into a logistics and transit hub in the Eurasian continent.

“By 2020 we plan to implement projects with a total amount of investments around USD 40 billion, aimed at removing all infrastructural restrictions and increasing our capabilities to offer competitive services and the volume of traffic,” stated Askar Mamin, president of Kazakhstan Railways (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy), at the “Creating Eurasia: Silk Road Economic Belt” international conference.

“We have formed 100 container trains from China’s Lianyungang Port to Central Asia this year. These are new shipments which were previously transported by sea, not by rail. Since 2012, we haveregistered a 15-fold increase in container traffic from China to Europe. It is a very good development and we see this as a huge potential we need to build on,” he added.

In 2015-2016, the government will allocate KZN 75.3 billion (EUR 380 million) for railway industry and transport logistics projects, the Deputy Minister of National Economy Marat Kussainovin previously informed.

According to him, in the next 2 years projects on construction of the railway line "Borzhakty - Ersai", ferry complex in the port of Kuryk in the Mangistau region and the construction of second electrified railway line Almaty-1- Shu there will be implemented.

"These projects will significantly reduce the cost of sea transport of goods at the ports of departure and create conditions for the free passage of trains to ferry complex Kuryk, increase cargo carrying capacity from 25 million tons to 80 million," he said.