It is one of Kazakhstan’s major ongoing rail projects: The Dostyk – Moyynty double track upgrade. National rail operator and infrastructure manager Kazakh Railways (KTZ) has finished a part of the works ahead of schedule, and freight trains are already running on the new double tracks between Lake Balkhash and Moyynty.
“On the 127-kilometre section, the connection of signaling, centralisation
and blocking devices was successfully completed”, KTZ writes. In total, the Dostyk – Moyynty line is 836 kilometres long. The double track upgrade along the entire length of the route is supposed to be done in summer.
The Kazakh rail operator reports that a lot of the work has been done already. “Most of the construction work is nearing completion. To date, the track and sleeper grid has been laid on 769 kilometres. Ninety-nine per cent of the excavation work has been completed. The installation of reinforced concrete pipes (255 out of 259) and bridges (88 out of 92) are nearing completion. The signaling, communications and power supply systems are being installed. Over 630 kilometres of various cables have been laid, and 12,998 supports for high-voltage lines have been installed”, the company explains.
Fivefold capacity boost
The Dostyk – Moyynty line is crucial for freight traffic. Dostyk is a major rail logistics hub on the border with China, from where many trains make their way westward. The current upgrades caused issues at the border crossing in September and October of last year.
The Kazakh side could not handle all the trains coming into the country from China, and no less than 55 trains were stranded waiting at the border. The double track upgrade is supposed to help mitigate capacity issues by increasing the capacity of the line fivefold.