KAZAKHSTAN has officially begun construction of its third railway connection with China, a line the country’s government promised when beginning work on the new Kazakhstan - Uzbekistan railway on November 27.
This new 272km line will run in a south-easterly direction from Ayagoz in eastern Kazakhstan to Bakhty on the Chinese border before continuing to Chuguchak in Tacheng prefecture.
The double-track railway is expected to boost freight capacity between Kazakhstan and China by more than two thirds, from 28 to about 48 million tonnes per year when completed in 2027, as well as relieving congestion at the two existing border crossings. It is part of the major investment in a total of 1300km of new railway lines that the Kazakh government is currently undertaking.
“Over the past five years, the volume of transit container traffic has increased 3.2 times,” said Kazakhstan’s prime minister Mr Alikhan Smailov when launching construction of the Ayagoz - Bakhty line on December 21.
“Existing transit corridors are expanding, and new transit corridors are being opened. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, North-South and the Southern Corridors have become particularly relevant.”
The increase is, naturally, due to soaring demand for goods from China and the latter country’s Belt Road Initiative, but Kazakhstan hopes that the new line will also facilitate exports in the other direction.
“All this will have a positive impact on the economy not only of the Abai region, but also of the whole country,” Smailov said. “The implementation of the Bakhty-Ayagoz project will also accelerate the integration of Kazakhstan's railway network into the world transport system.
No financial details have been disclosed, other than that an unnamed private investor is involved.
For detailed data on central Asian rail projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
