After nearly three years of upgrade work, Kazakhstan has launched the modernised Dostyk-Moyynty railway. It is a key line for transit through the country. With two tracks in place, the throughput capacity should be five times bigger than before.
The importance of the railway upgrade is underlined by the attention given to it by no one other than President Tokayev, who announced its launch. He called the completion of the double track railway a “historic event”.
“Indeed, the successful execution of this strategic project will have a massive effect on the entire economy of our country. Kazakhstan is consolidating its position as an essential transport and transit hub in Eurasia”, one of the presidential press secretaries later added.
With the second track open for traffic, capacity on the railway should grow from 12 to 60 trains per day and allow for containers to cover some 1,500 kilometres daily. Dostyk-Moyynty itself is around 836 kilometres in length.
The entire modernisation cost the equivalent of some one billion US dollars and included not only a second track, but also 92 bridges and upgrades at 32 stations.
Dostyk border crossing
The official opening of the double track railway on 30 September coincided with the 35-year anniversary of the Dostyk border crossing station on the border with China. It has since become one of the most important freight hubs in Kazakhstan. Dostyk has seen around 400 million tonnes of freight pass during those 35 years.
Operations in Dostyk started modestly, with ten wagons being sent to China on the first day. In recent times, the station faces regular congestion because it cannot keep up with trains that need to be processed.