The number of trains crossing the border between Russia and Kazakhstan is expected to increase from 65 to 85 pairs per day during the second half of this year, representing a 30% rise. The national railway companies of the two countries, RZD and KTZ, agreed to carry out works on the nine rail border crossings connecting their networks.
The deal focuses on three aspects, according to KTZ: “Changing the direction of wagon flows, automating technology of receiving/handling trains and extending the warranty periods for servicing wagons”. One of the main goals of this initiative is to enhance traffic along the eastern branch of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). To this end, KTZ introduced a 50% discount for operators using this route to boost traffic in November.
The second goal of the new deal is to boost rail traffic between China, Russia and Belarus. RZD and KTZ are considering the integration of a unified information system for rail transport between China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. This would happen within the ASOUP-2 (АСОУП-2) project, a single database that encompasses operational, forecast, archive, planned and regulatory information on all objects of the transportation process.