Kazakhstan invests big to double railway to China
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) will purchase 108,000 tonnes of rail, over 1,500 sets of sleepers and fastenings. The equipment will be used for the doubling of the Moyynty-Dostyk railway, which connects Kazakhstan to China via Alashankou.
The components, all produced in Kazakhstan, are being shipped to assembly bases in Zharyk, Aktogay, Orta-Deresin, and Zhaksybulak. Here, “rail and sleeper gratings are assembled using a railway crane”, KTZ specified. Once the foundation of the rail sections is ready, the finished components will be delivered to the laying sites. Currently, 170 kilometres of the 836 total Moyynty-Dostyk railway have been prepared for laying the track, KTZ highlighted. More specifically, the upper track structure is now being installed along the three sections connecting Moyynty to Balkhash.
Enhancing Kazakhstan’s role on the New Silk Road
The Dostyk-Alashankou rail border crossing plays an important role for trains running between China and Europe. This border crossing is currently under a restricted regime, with trains going from China to various Central Asian countries being re-routed through the Altyinkol-Khorgos rail border crossing. The doubling of the Moyynty-Dostyk railway, which should be commissioned in 2025, is expected to increase capacity by five times, as KTZ underlined.
Moreover, KTZ is exploring additional possibilities in cooperation with the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). Last week, EDB Management Board Nikolai Podguzov mentioned the construction of another railway that would connect Kazakhstan to the Chinese border, running from Ayagoz to Bakhty. This would mean that a third rail border crossing would be implemented between the two countries. The EDB is ready to finance the feasibility studies for this project with a grant through its Technical Assistance Fund. Kazakhstan is the main receiver of investment from the Bank, which has already invested over 5 billion euros for 104 projects.
European Silk Road Summit
The discussion of Kazakhstan and its relation with the Silk Road will be extended to the European Silk Road Summit 2023. The 7th edition of the European Silk Road Summit 2023 will be held on 29-30 November and 1 December 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. Interested in joining the panel discussion with KTZ? Click here for more information.
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