The capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana will soon launch the construction of a USD 1.8 billion light rail system that is estimated to be completed within 2 years. According to an agreement, a consortium formed by Chinese companies will be responsible for the implementation of the project. “A consortium of Chinese companies will built the LRT in accordance with the signed agreement. No changes have been made and preparatory work is currently under way. We are committed to fulfilling contractual obligations indicated in the contract,” Astana Deputy Mayor Sergei Khoroshun said.
The LRT project involves the construction of 22.4 km rail link, connecting the city on north-south axis, from the city’s main station to Astana International Airport.
Last year, the city announced that the design of LRT vehicles was approved. 19 LRVs will be put into service on the line. In May 2015, Astana LRT LLP, and the consortium, including China Railway International Group and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management have signed the agreement on the 1st Stage of the project. In addition, in 2013, the city’s authorities appointed KSPMC (Kazakh Systra Projekt Management Consortium) as consultant for the management of the project, and in the same year, the project has been approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In September 2011, ADB announced a USD 716,000 co-financing for the project.
According to the bank, the Astana whole LRT system will be structured in three phases. The first phase includes the construction of a the line from the Astana airport to the city center, in the second phase, almost 10 km of line should be constructed from the northern part of Astana and the main railway station, and the third phase involves the construction of a 18 km line that will close the loop back to the city center.
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