ASTANA – Kazakhstan has launched its first passenger train equipped with locally manufactured Stadler coaches on the Astana-Almaty route, marking a new stage in the country’s railway fleet renewal and its cooperation with Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler. Photo credit: Dariga Bassybaeva/ The Astana Times Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator, has already received more than 100 coaches, with a contract providing for the phased delivery of 557 coaches by 2030.
The first train departed from Astana’s Nurly Zhol railway station on Nov. 11 and will run daily as passenger train No. 3/4 on the Nurly Zhol-Almaty-2 route. It leaves Astana at 1:10 p.m. and arrives in Almaty at 8:30 a.m. the following day. The coaches are manufactured in Kazakhstan using Stadler’s Swiss technology and adapted to the country’s climatic conditions.
They are designed to operate in temperatures ranging from minus 50 to plus 45 degrees Celsius and have an expected service life of 40 years. “The coaches from Stadler from Switzerland are based on Swiss technology. They have individual temperature control in each compartment, allowing passengers to adjust the temperature by two degrees up or down.
This makes the journey really comfortable,” said Stefan Giese, chief director for maintenance and repair, in a comment to the Astana Times. Photo credit: Dariga Bassybaeva/ The Astana Times He added that the coaches follow European design standards adapted to Kazakhstan’s operating environment and will gradually be deployed on major railway routes across the country.
Compartment coaches accommodate 40 passengers, while open-plan sleeping coaches seat 58. The facilities include climate control, individual lighting, 220-volt power outlets, USB and USB-C ports, Wi-Fi, video surveillance and dedicated luggage areas. Special arrangements have also been made for passengers with reduced mobility.
Each train includes a buffet coach. Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Zhanibek Taizhanov said the project represents not only an upgrade of passenger rail transport but also an investment in domestic industrial development. “The project is being implemented directly in our country.
It is not only about renewing railway transport but also about developing domestic industry, creating jobs, introducing modern technologies and improving the qualifications of Kazakh specialists,” he said. Taizhanov described cooperation with Stadler as a joint investment and industrial project aimed at the country’s long-term development.
He added that the launch was only the beginning of a broader effort to make modern, safe and comfortable coaches a standard across Kazakhstan’s railway network.