Railways of Kazakhstan
A well-developed railway network is typical for the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its total length is 14 thousand km. Only 4 thousand km are electrified. Railways of Kazakhstan in some sections are operated by the railway administrations of Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
For the state, railway transport is of great importance, since it accounts for more than 57% of the passenger turnover and 69% of the country's cargo turnover. Among the countries of the former USSR, Kazakhstan has the most progressive railway sector. The operator of the railway network is the company «Kazakhstan Railways», whose office is located in Astana. You can see the train schedule on the website http://www.railways.kz.
What trains are used
The rolling stock of the railway is represented by freight cars, passenger cars, tank cars and traction vehicles (diesel locomotives, diesel trains, electric trains, etc.). The railway sector is an important link in the production infrastructure. Kazakhstan has no navigable rivers and no access to the sea, but has a vast territory and an underdeveloped sphere of motor transport. These conditions make the role of rail transport paramount. The railways of Kazakhstan have a high technical and production potential, which has been steadily increasing in recent years..
Railway communication is necessary for direct communication of the country with Russian cities such as Moscow, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Barnaul, etc. Long-distance trains are constantly running from the Russian capital to Kazakhstan. Regular flights are made from the listed cities to Pavlodar, Karaganda, Alma-Ata and Astana. Railways connect Kazakhstan with other states (Kyrgyzstan, China, Uzbekistan). Traveling around the country by train is very convenient. Trains run regularly between major settlements. You can find out about the availability of tickets on the website railways.kz, which is available in Russian..
Conditions and tickets
In Kazakhstani trains, train classes similar to Russian ones are used: compartment, SV, general, reserved seat. Conditions for passengers do not differ from conditions on trains in the Russian Federation. The main routes of the country are: Almaty - Pavlodar, Almaty - Astana, Almaty - Kostanay, etc. Between Almaty and Astana, a high-speed train, equipped with Spanish-made wagons, runs daily. This train has three classes of carriages: tourist, business and grand. The cost of a high-speed train ticket is about 2,000 rubles (about 9800 tenge). A ticket for a regular train can be purchased for 7000 tenge. To buy a train ticket, you can use the following virtual platform: https://epay.railways.kz.
