Kazakhstan to launch new Stadler railcars in late October

Vice Minister of Transport Zhanibek Taizhanov announced the timeline at a Government briefing, noting that some of the railcars have already been accepted, while tests of the braking system and other technical components are still underway.

“According to preliminary information from Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the railcars are expected to enter service in Kazakhstan in late October or early November, once all testing procedures have been completed,” Taizhanov said.

He noted that the timeline remains preliminary and could change if additional work is required.

The Vice Minister also explained the reasons behind the delay in launching the new railcars.

“As this is a new type of rolling stock being manufactured in Kazakhstan, it requires more thorough testing. During trial runs, a number of issues were identified that did not meet safety requirements. Additional inspections were therefore ordered to address these issues and ensure the safe transportation of passengers in the future,” he said.

Earlier, Kazakhstan-China rail freight rose 9% to 18.7 million tons in the first half of 2026.