Kazakhstan’s national rail carrier, Passenger Transportation JSC, plans to revamp the railway’s passenger transport division to cut its losses and meet the demand for transportation services. In order to do so, it is developing a project using the so-called hub model.
The hub system involves organizing passenger transport around connections of mainline and regional services in transport hubs. Each transport hub will connect not only trains but also other modes of transport, thus realizing a no less important project – intermodal passenger transportation.
The hub system aims to ensure rail passenger transport’s competitiveness and reduce operating costs, while contributing to environmental goals by encouraging people to choose public transport over private.
The hub model for passenger transport is being implemented via a cooperation framework between Passenger Transportation JSC and consultants from Germany’s DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH.
To better understand how this project will be implemented, The Times of Central Asia spoke with the executive director of the intermodal transportation project at Passenger Transportation JSC, Zhambul Baideldinov, and the director of intermodal transportation of DB Engineering & Consulting, Nikolai Sidorvs.
According to Baideldinov, the hub model of passenger transport in Kazakhstan is aimed at creating convenient, rapid transport links between the hubs of Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent, as well as regional transfer points. Such a model aims to develop hubs where passengers can comfortably transfer from one mode of transport to another, including rail and road and, in the future, air transport.
“Successful implementation of the project will allow us to solve the problem of seasonal shortages of seats in passenger trains, as well as expand the range of services provided,” explained Baideldinov.
According to Sidorvs, the regions and cities that will host the transport hubs were selected on the basis of several key factors. First, the geographical significance and the city’s role as a logistics center linking major traffic flows were considered. Second, current passenger traffic volumes and their future growth potential were analyzed. Priority was also given to cities with developed transport infrastructure that would allow for effective integration of different modes of transport.
“In the initial stage, the plan calls for creating a hub at the Nurly Zhol railway station in Astana. At subsequent stages, other hubs will be established in the cities of Shymkent, Semey, and Almaty,” explained Sidorvs.
The Nurly Zhol complex in the capital is expected to become an example for further projects. Plans also call for modernizing transport infrastructure to create efficient and convenient transfer hubs in different regions of Kazakhstan. In addition to large hubs, such as Nurly Zhol, the establishment of regional hubs is planned.
Passenger Transportation JSC is currently setting up programs to develop regional transfer points. Within the framework of these initiatives, the national passenger carrier is also working closely with government agencies and local government leaders, making it possible to combine efforts and attract additional resources.
“A pilot project for intermodal transportation has already been implemented by the company. Passengers who purchase travel tickets for a number of railway destinations can already transfer from one mode of transport to another,” said Baideldinov.
According to him, as part of the project’s development over the past two years, Passenger Transportation JSC, in cooperation with road carriers, conducted a number of pilot projects providing for combined train + bus transport in Astana and Shchuchinsk. Also, in cooperation with the airline SCAT JSC, a pilot train + plane project on the Kostanai-Astana-Shymkent route, was organized in 2024.
Dauren Moldakhmetov is the editor-in-chief of the Kazakhstan railway industry publication Trans-Express Kazakhstan and the business magazine Trans Logistics Kazakhstan.
