Astana - The Times Of Central Asia

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Railway

Stadler Begins Production of Railcars for Kazakhstan’s National Railway in Astana

Serial production of passenger railcars for Kazakhstan's national rail carrier, Passenger Transportation JSC, has officially commenced in Astana. The project is being implemented at the Stadler Kazakhstan LLP plant as part of a broader initiative to modernize the country's railway sector. Contract for 557 Cars The initiative stems from a long-term agreement between Passenger Transportation JSC and Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler Rail AG. Under the terms of the contract, 557 passenger cars of various types, including compartment and platzkart models, generator cars, and specially adapted trains for passengers with disabilities, are to be produced by 2030. The first 51 units are scheduled to enter service in 2025. The contract also includes a 20-year maintenance commitment by the manufacturer, aimed at ensuring the reliability and longevity of the rolling stock. Full Production Cycle During a recent visit to the plant, representatives of Passenger Transportation JSC inspected the facilities and reviewed completed bodies of passenger and generator cars. More than 400 specialists are currently employed at the plant, the majority of whom are Kazakh nationals. The manufacturing process encompasses a complete production cycle, from body welding and painting to the assembly of electrical components, bogies, and interior fittings. Each railcar undergoes both static and dynamic testing before leaving the production line. In the past two years, the facility has undergone significant modernization and localization, including workforce training in advanced technologies. Comfort and Safety The new Stadler cars are designed with passenger comfort and safety in mind. Each compartment coach will offer 40 sleeping berths and feature air conditioning, video surveillance, electric heating, and an automated fire suppression system. Passengers will have access to electrical outlets and USB ports in each compartment. The railcars will sport a distinctive exterior in corporate blue, yellow, and white, while the interiors will be tailored to suit Kazakhstan’s climate and long-distance travel requirements. Swiss Quality in the Steppe Stadler Rail AG is a leading European rail manufacturer with over 80 years of experience and operations in 45 countries. Renowned for producing reliable and technologically advanced railcars suited to harsh climates, the company has supplied equipment to regions including Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally discussed the establishment of the Kazakh production facility with Stadler Chairman Peter Spuhler in December 2022. Located in Astana’s industrial park, the plant spans over 31,000 square meters and has an annual production capacity exceeding 100 railcars. The launch of serial production marks a pivotal step in overhauling Kazakhstan's railway infrastructure. Beyond replacing outdated rolling stock, the project fosters technological advancement, local job creation, and the strengthening of the domestic rail manufacturing sector.

Kazakh-Chinese Trade

China’s Jiangsu Province and Soho Holding Group to Build Multifunctional Center in Astana

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliyev, visited China on April 3, where he met with officials from Jiangsu Province and representatives of Jiangsu Soho Holding Group in Nanjing, the province’s capital. During the meeting, the Chinese side presented design concepts for a planned multifunctional center to be built in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, in 2026. According to the trade ministry, the future center will strengthen Kazakh-Chinese trade and business relations. It will serve as a venue for showcasing Chinese and Kazakh goods, hosting business negotiations, registering trade transactions, and providing consulting services. The complex will also include a trade pavilion, a cultural center, and an office for Jiangsu Soho Holding Group. The sides also discussed plans to hold a Jiangsu Province goods exhibition in Astana from June 11 to 13, to coincide with the upcoming Central Asia-China summit. As part of his visit, Shakkaliyev toured the Central Asia-Jiangsu Trade Center and the National Pavilion of Kazakhstan in Nanjing, which opened in September 2024. The trade center is a multifunctional platform promoting exports from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and is designed to increase Central Asian access to the Chinese market. Shakkaliyev also held talks with Eurasia Construction Capital Co. Ltd, which is planning to launch an investment project in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region to establish a private special economic zone (SEZ) or industrial park. The initial investment is estimated at $100 million. Seven major Chinese companies, specializing in petrochemical products, renewable energy, and construction materials, have expressed interest in participating in the SEZ. The minister affirmed the government’s full support for the initiative, highlighting its potential to develop high value-added production in Kazakhstan.

Higher Education

New York Film Academy Launches Branch in Kazakhstan

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) has officially opened a branch in Kazakhstan, marking its third campus outside the United States and the first world-class creative university to establish a presence in the country, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan announced. The launch agreement was signed virtually on March 1 by Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, and Michael Yang, President of the New York Film Academy. Academic programs at the new campus are set to begin on September 29 at the Energo University Creative Industries Park in Kaskelen, near Almaty. Instruction will be delivered in person by professional NYFA faculty from the United States. The Kazakhstan branch will offer one-year and short-term training programs in five core disciplines: Filmmaking Producing Screenwriting Animation and Visual Effects (3D Animation & VFX) Game Development (Game Design) The inaugural class will enroll up to 200 students from Kazakhstan and neighboring countries, including China, India, and Russia. Graduates will receive diplomas from the U.S.-based NYFA and will have the opportunity to continue their studies at the Academy’s campuses in New York or Los Angeles, with credits transferred from their coursework in Kazakhstan.

Higher Education

Cardiff University to Open New Campus in Kazakhstan

Cardiff University in Wales has announced plans to open a new campus in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, later this year. The move represents a major step in the university’s global expansion and underscores its commitment to providing world-class education in Central Asia. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Cardiff University Kazakhstan will begin offering programs in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Business in 2025, with undergraduate programs to follow in 2026. The Astana campus is being developed in partnership with the not-for-profit Public Foundation “Qualified Centre of Education” (QCEF). To ensure broad access, the Kazakh government has pledged to provide up to 500 fully funded scholarships over the first three years of the campus's operation. The initiative aims to make high-quality education accessible to talented students across Kazakhstan. Once fully operational, the campus is expected to accommodate more than 2,500 students annually, contributing to the development of a skilled workforce and supporting economic growth in the region. Cardiff University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner, said: “We are excited about the opportunities that the Cardiff University Kazakhstan campus will create. It is clear from our extensive discussions with the Kazakh government, investors, and other stakeholders that this initiative will be truly reciprocal and mutually beneficial.”

Start-ups

Bridging Borders: Louis Albertini on Central Asia’s Tech Growth, Startup Challenges, and Building Global Connections

Louis Albertini has been involved in technology and startups across the United States and Kazakhstan for a decade, working with Silicon Valley and venture capital-backed startups based in Kazakhstan, including ORBI and Farel. He is passionate about supporting founders in succeeding in the U.S. market and building connections between the U.S. and Kazakhstan. TCA spoke with Louis to gain insights from his experiences in the Kazakhstan market. TCA: Can you share your career journey in Kazakhstan and what motivated you to work in diverse roles like marketing, consulting, and startups? Louis: I arrived in Kazakhstan in July 2015 as a Princeton in Asia fellow and spent a year working in the President's Office at KIMEP University with Dr. Chan Young Bang. I served as his communications officer, writing official correspondence, liaising with different departments, and managing the day-to-day affairs of the office. After my PiA fellowship ended, I decided to stay in Almaty and start exploring the nascent startup scene. In 2016, I joined the founding team of a startup called ORBI, which developed 360-degree video recording glasses. This was the first Kazakhstani startup that attracted significant venture financing and was invited to interview at Y Combinator in 2016. We raised about $7 million for the company and secured $350 thousand in pre-orders, the largest ever for a Kazakh start-up. Back then, the YC batches were extremely small, and interviews were conducted in person at their historic but now-closed 320 Pioneer Way office in Mountain View. This was my first applied experience with Kazakhstan startups, and I've been involved ever since. TCA: What inspired you to create Redfern Partners, and how did you help address the challenges SMBs and tech companies face in Central Asia? Louis: Working at the American Chamber of Commerce gave me some insight into the market research landscape in Kazakhstan, primarily by listening to business leaders complain about available options. Besides the major consulting firms like McKinsey and BCG, which are more focused on quasi-state projects that need stamps of approval, the SMB space for high-quality independent research was largely empty. The Big 4 have variations of market research services, but their core specialty is audit and tax. Most local incumbents were formed in the early 1990s and use outdated methodologies that produce inaccurate or trivial insights. International research firms lack local coverage and rely on a loose patchwork of freelancers. Redfern was formed to offer high-quality, independent market research services to fill this void. We completed about twenty projects and continue to be a partner for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) small business initiative. TCA: What common mistakes did you see SMBs in the region make, and how did you help them overcome these? Louis: The SMB space in Kazakhstan is hugely underserved and overlooked, offering the largest surface area regarding technology adoption. In the US, SMBs employ nearly half of the American workforce, representing 45% of America's GDP. In Kazakhstan, the market is mainly asymmetrical, with large players...

Diplomacy

Trump’s Bid for Ukraine-Russia Peace: Could Kazakhstan Be the Key Mediator?

One of the anticipated top priorities of Donald Trump’s presidency is ending Russia's war in Ukraine while normalizing relations with Moscow. Writing on his Truth Social channel, Trump stated that, “Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Trump’s nominee to serve as Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, 80-year-old former national security advisor, General Keith Kellogg, laid out his plan in writing for the America First policy institute, whilst focusing on characterizing the war “an avoidable crisis that, due to the Biden Administration’s incompetent policies [which] has entangled America in an endless war.” There are fears, however, that Kellogg’s proposal to reach a ceasefire by freezing the frontlines and forcing both sides the negotiating table will lead to a tumultuously violent period as Moscow seeks to swallow up territory. Meanwhile, NATO’s new secretary-general, Mark Rutte, has warned that compelling Ukraine into a “bad peace” would pose a “dire threat” to the U.S. itself. Whilst the framework for bringing a pause to hostilities is becoming clearer, it appears that Trump (or his representative) will need to meet with Vladimir Putin, and Kazakhstan has emerged as a potential venue for this high-stakes meeting. Kazakhstan's Role as Mediator Russian political analyst, Arkady Dubnov, has argued that Putin’s recent state visit to Astana may be an indication that Kazakhstan could play a pivotal role, and that given Putin’s limited travel options due to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him, Kazakhstan, with its reputation for diplomacy, would be a logical choice. “Putin is essentially restricted from visiting most of the Western Hemisphere,” Dubnov explained. “This leaves the Eurasian East, and among its cities, Astana stands out. Kazakhstan has hosted OSCE and CICA summits, mediated in the Syrian conflict, and facilitated peace talks over the future of the South Caucasus.” Dubnov sees Putin’s visit to Astana as indirectly tied to a possible meeting with Trump. “The Kremlin trusts Kazakhstan as an ally while respecting its constructive relations with the U.S. and the broader West,” he stated. Kazakhstan has long been recognized as a neutral ground where East and West can find commonality. The Astana process on Syria, initiated in 2017, helped prevent the escalation of hostilities for years, whilst Kazakhstan has mediated in other long-standing disputes, such as the conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijan. Given this history, it is conceivable that a reconciliation process between Russia and Ukraine could start in Astana. Neither the Minsk agreements of 2014, nor discussions in Istanbul in 2022 achieved lasting peace, but Kazakhstan’s diplomatic efforts could provide fresh impetus. Early Peace Efforts In March 2022, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, emphasized the urgency of negotiations to bring a halt to hostilities, a stance that has since gained momentum as the war drags on. By 2024, the validity of Tokayev’s view — that negotiations are the only viable path to end the bloodshed — has become increasingly apparent. Kazakhstan’s diplomatic corps has actively pushed for peace....