After three years, construction work on the Dostyk-Moyynty railway in Kazakhstan came to an end at the end of September. Since the double tracks were taken into full use, 12,6 million tonnes of freight have passed on the line. That is 42% more than 2022 figures, before work on the railway started, according to national rail operator Kazakh Railways (KTZ).
The double tracks have grown capacity on the route by five times, from 12 to 60 trains per day, according to KTZ. That is a big win for Kazakhstan’s status as a transit hub. The Dostyk-Moyynty line is a key artery for international traffic. It leads into Kazakhstan from Dostyk, a crossing on the border with China and one of two main entry and exit points for trains.
The importance of the upgrade was underlined by President Tokayev, who 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”, a presidential press secretary added when the railway was fully opened.
Bottlenecks
The Dostyk-Moyynty upgrade reflects Kazakhstan’s strategy to become an international logistics hub, located between Europe and East Asia. The double track enables larger capacity for Asia-Europe traffic, both through Russia and along the Middle Corridor through the Caucasus.
However, the modernisation is no magic capacity fix, because other bottlenecks remain. Those include the Dostyk border crossing, where trains still regularly accumulate because they cannot be processed quickly enough, but also Caspian Sea ports, such as Aktau and Kuryk.