Kazakhstan launches major infrastructure projects in railway and aviation

As it was reported, the meeting is chaired by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

“This year, we will complete the construction of two railroad lines with a total length of 475 kilometers and the modernization of 2.9 thousand kilometers of lines.This will enable us to increase the volume of transit shipments by 60%, and the speed of transit container trains will reach 50 km/h. For example, by the end of this year, the delivery time for cargo from the Chinese border to the Caspian Sea will be reduced from 84 hours to 55 hours. Construction and reconstruction work will be carried out on 11,000 kilometers of roads, Bektenov said.

At the same time, a number of factors restraining the dynamic development of transit potential were identified. One of them is a high level of wear and tear in railway infrastructure. In this regard, the Government constantly supervises the implementation of a comprehensive program to modernize the main railway network.

“This year, we will begin construction of the second runway at Astana Airport. The commissioning of the second runway will make it possible to carry out major repairs on the first one, which has not been renovated for more than 20 years. This will increase the capital’s airport capacity fourfold, to 40 million passengers. In July of this year, the reconstruction of the domestic terminal at Almaty Airport will be completed. Its capacity will rise from 14 million passengers to 19 million. Construction and installation work will also begin on the modernization of the runway,” the Prime Minister emphasize.

In addition, by order of the President, conditions have been created for setting a market price for aviation fuel. As a result, the price of aviation fuel has decreased from $1,200 to about $950. This has enhanced the attractiveness of Kazakhstan’s airspace for foreign airlines.

Earlier, Bektenov said that the Government is preparing a package of comprehensive measures to increase household incomes.