GERMAN Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Engineering & Consulting (DB E&C) has signed a framework agreement with Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) to provide consulting services on passenger transport and rail freight in the Central Asian country.
The three-year agreement follows past agreements where DB supported KTZ’s passenger division. One aim of the consulting work in rail freight is to increase traffic between Kazakhstan and Central Europe via the Eurasian corridor and integrate the country into the European transport system.
“We are delighted with the new contract and the confidence that KTZ has placed in us,” says Mr Niko Warbanoff, chairman of the managing board of DB ECO Group, which includes DB E&C. “Together, we will develop Kazakhstan Railways into a modern competitive company - from corporate governance through to the services offered to customers.”
KTZ plans
KTZ says it is planning to construct 1300km of new railway in the next three years “to significantly increase the transport potential of the country” as well as improve the efficiency of export transport, and increase the speed of trains operating across the country.
Freight volumes on the national network increased by 700,000 tonnes to 190.7 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2023, according to KTZ. Notable results include a 41.2% increase in the transport of grain while export traffic increased by 54%.
KTZ also reports record rail freight flows from Kazakhstan to China in the first nine months of 2023, driven by exports from Kazakhstan to China, in particular grain which increased by 125%.
