The construction of the first light rail network in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is part of an extensive programme to modernise the public transport network in the city, along with the introduction of a new ticketing system.
The first stage involves the construction of a 22.6 kilometer-long section that will connect the Airport to Astana’s new train station. A total of 19 light rail vehicles will run daily on this section.
They will run at a maximum speed of 80 km/h, and the maximum number of passengers transported per day will be 146,000.
The cost of the entire project is estimated at USD 1.9 billion, a financing for which Kazakhstan has obtained from a Chinese Development Bank loan.
This loan will run for a period of 20 years with an annual interest rate of 2.5%. Also, all companies involved in this project are from China.
The first phase of the Astana light rail will start commercial operation in December 2018.
LRT Construction, a subsidiary of the Astana Municipality, responsible for works implementation, presented the first images of the design project.
The light rail network is the basis of the Astana Municipality’s plans to develop the public transport system, modernising the infrastructure and introducing new types of technologies and services to meet the mobility demands expressed by the growing number of inhabitants. Authorities have said that this year the population in Astana has reached 1.1 million inhabitants.
Share on:
