High-speed rail in Kazakhstan

As of 2020, no operational high-speed rail systems exist in Kazakhstan. Two links are planned – between Almaty and Nur-Sultan, and an international link between Moscow and Beijing that would go through the country.

Tulpar Talgo express train to Almaty.

Nur-Sultan–Almaty

In November 2013 the proposed Nur-Sultan–Almaty high speed railway was postponed due to high costs and doubts over passenger numbers.[1]

Previously in March 2013, Qazaqstan Temir Zholy, the national rail company of Kazakhstan, awarded a contract to Systra to oversee the design and construction of a high-speed line from Nur-Sultan, the country's capital, to Almaty, its largest city.[2][3] The line is expected to be 1,011 km (628 mi) long, and will travel via Karaganda and Balkhash.[2][3] A 10 km (6.2 mi) viaduct across Lake Balkhash is planned near Sayaq.[2][3] The trains are expected by be built by Tulpar-Talgo (a joint venture established in 2011 between Qazaqstan Temir Zholy and Spanish company Talgo[4]), and will have a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), completing the trip in five and a half hours.[2][3] The system will use Russian gauge, the same as used by Kazakhstan's existing conventional lines.[2][3]

Moscow–Beijing via Kazakhstan

In 2015, a Russian Railways official said that the Moscow-Beijing HSR line would pass through either Russia's Altai Republic or Kazakhstan. The difference in length between the two proposed routes would be 290 km (180 miles).[5]

References
  1. Kazakhstan postpones construction of new high-speed railway, 2013-11-02
  2. "Kazakhstan plans 1 000 km high speed line". Railway Gazette International. 2013-03-13.
  3. "Kazakhstan to build first high-speed line". International Railway Journal. 2013-03-13.
  4. "President Opens Train Manufacturing Plant "Tulpar-Talgo"". 2011-12-09.
  5. "Moscow-Beijing high speed rail to pass through either Kazakhstan or Altai". Interfax. Retrieved 2015-04-03 – via Russia Beyond the Headlines.
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