Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) released comprehensive safety performance data from its 2024 railway safety campaign, highlighting both challenges and positive outcomes across the national rail network. The state railway operator reported that train drivers deployed emergency brakes 4,758 times throughout the year to avert potential collisions, with competent response from locomotive crews successfully preventing 3,406 of those dangerous situations from escalating into actual incidents.
The railway operator intensified its community engagement strategy in response to safety concerns. During 2024, KTZ organized 298 coordination council meetings bringing together representatives from the prosecutor's office, law enforcement agencies, transport control authorities, and media outlets to align prevention efforts across governmental bodies. These multi-stakeholder sessions aimed to synchronize safety protocols and enforcement measures throughout Kazakhstan's extensive rail infrastructure.
Public outreach constituted a significant component of the safety initiative. Railroad personnel conducted more than 12,000 community meetings, reaching more than 166,000 individuals through educational lectures on proper conduct near railway tracks and rolling stock. These sessions targeted populations living adjacent to rail corridors and sought to raise awareness about the severe consequences of unsafe behavior around active lines.
Despite the prevention measures, the operator recorded 75 cases of non-work injuries to individuals in 2024. Railway departments in Shymkent, Aktobe, Zhambyl, and Akmola regions registered the highest concentration of incidents during the reporting period. KTZ officials identified four primary behavioral factors contributing to injuries: unauthorized crossing of railway tracks, alcohol intoxication while near rail infrastructure, distraction from wearing headphones, and intentional self-harm incidents on the railway right-of-way.
The 2024 data represents continued focus on reducing both occupational and public safety incidents along Kazakhstan's approximately 16,000-kilometer rail network. The operator's safety communications emphasized that proactive measures by locomotive crews—responding to trackside hazards and pedestrian presence—remain critical in preventing more severe outcomes across the country's primary freight and passenger transportation artery.