ASTANA – The Turkistan Region has commenced the construction of a new 152-kilometer railway line Darbaza-Maktaaral to augment capacity and enhance export and transit potential, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov announced at a Nov. 27 teleconference, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
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A new checkpoint will be established along the Kazakh-Uzbek state border as part of this significant initiative.
The project is divided into two stages, involving the construction of the Yerdaut-Maktaaral section in the first stage and the Zhetysai branch in the second stage, connecting both lines with access to the Syrdarya station.
The railway track will require 19,700 tons of rails, along with 280,000 sets of reinforced concrete sleepers and rail fastenings.
Kanat Almagambetov, the deputy chairman of the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy national railway company, highlighted that the Darbaza-Maktaaral line will connect two remote districts of the Turkistan Region – Maktaaral and Zhetysay – with the rest of Kazakhstan.
According to him, the construction will involve the establishment of nine stations, providing direct access to goods and boosting the development of these regions.
The new railway line is expected to significantly increase Kazakhstan’s transit potential, expediting cargo movement to Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Almagambetov added that it would alleviate congestion on the Saryagash-Tashkent section, allowing for smoother transportation of cargo and passenger trains.
“There has been a lot of cargo in recent years. However, not all are transferred on time because this junction is not designed for such cargo flow. It has increased sharply in the last two to three years,” he said.
Almagambetov mentioned ongoing discussions on constructing a railway from Pakistan to India, with the Darbaza-Maktaaral line substantially contributing to this strategic route.
Projections suggest an additional 10-14 million tons of cargo traffic, potentially increasing to 20-25 million tons in the future. This section, bypassing the Tashkent hub, will transport cargo in both directions much faster, Almagambetov noted.
Since the beginning of the year, the volume of cargo transportation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has reached 25.8 million tons. Last year marked a record-breaking cargo transport volume in Kazakhstan’s 30 years of independence, exceeding 245 billion ton-kilometers.
Prime Minister Smailov projected that by year-end, the volume of cargo transportation with Uzbekistan is anticipated to approach 31 million tons, 16% higher than last year.
This major infrastructure project is being implemented on the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It is expected to generate 3,400 jobs, with 85% of the content sourced from Kazakhstan. After the first section of the railway track was laid, Smailov emphasized the need for high-quality implementation in due time.
The Kazakh government is working on several railway infrastructure projects, including the construction of second tracks on the Dostyk-Moiynty section, a new railway bypassing Almaty, and plans to commence work on the Bakhty-Ayagoz railway line, connecting to the third international junction with China. In total, Kazakhstan will build over 1,300 kilometers of railways over the next three years.
