More than 212.7 million tons of cargo were transported across the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) rail network from January through August 2026, according to the national railway company, Qazinform News Agency reports. Domestic freight transportation accounted for 112.4 million tons during the eight-month period, while export shipments increased by 6.8% year on year to 61.5 million tons.
Coal remained among the major commodities transported by rail. KTZ loaded 68.3 million tons of coal during the reporting period, up 2% compared with the same period last year. Of this volume, 46.8 million tons were delivered to domestic consumers, also representing a 2% increase, while 21.5 million tons were shipped for export.
Grain loading reached 9.3 million tons between January and August, 13% more than a year earlier. Grain exports increased by 14% to 7.2 million tons. Domestic grain transportation amounted to 2.1 million tons, up 8% year on year. Meanwhile, exports of milled grain products reached 1.8 million tons, an increase of 6%.
During the same period, KTZ transported 14.6 million tons of non-ferrous ores and 13.4 million tons of construction materials. Growth was also recorded in several other key freight categories. Iron ore transportation reached 69 million tons, increasing by 1.3 million tons, or 1.9%, compared with the previous year.
Transportation of ferrous metals amounted to 10.8 million tons, while crude oil shipments reached 1.5 million tons, representing a 29.8% increase.