Astana Light Metro

The Astana Metro is a future light rail rapid transit system located in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is the capital of the country with a population of over 1,000,000. Construction should have finished roughly about the same time as the Almaty Metro, which was estimated for 2010. However, completion has been postponed several times, in 2011 completion was scheduled to coincide with the Expo in 2017[2] and as of October 2017 the first stage is planned to be commissioned in December 2019.[3] Project authority Astana LRT LLP signed an agreement with a consortium of China Railway International Group and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co for construction of the first phase of the capital’s light rail project on May 7, 2015.[4] Construction began in May 2017.[5]

Astana Light Metro
Overview
LocaleAstana, Kazakhstan
Transit typeLight metro
Number of lines1
Number of stations18
Operation
Operation will start2024
Train length2 carriages per trainset
Technical
System length21.5 km (13.4 mi)
Track gauge1,524 mm (5 ft)[1]
Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)

The light metro is part of Nazarbayev's Kazakhstan 2030 economic plan to transform Kazakhstan into an economic power.

Video renders of the proposed system show the lines built on viaducts running adjacent to roads, with enclosed stations offering heating and ventilation systems to protect passengers from the extreme weather variations in the city.[6]

The Chinese company constructing the project went bankrupt early 2019. The city hall ordered an indefinite halt to it.[7] Since then, the half-built remnants of the project have become a prominent symbol of corruption within the country.[8][9]

Construction has restarted and the LRT is planned to open by 2024-2025.

Line 1

The 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) North-South route would link Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport with Astana Nurly Zhol railway station via the modern "Left Bank" area of the city centre. The line will have 11 stops and one depot. Capacity is estimated to be 146,000 people per day.[10][11]

Further phases

Original plans show further phases to link other areas of the city.[12]

A scene in a music video by Kazakhstani rap group Irina Kairatovna features a man in a suit, meant to be a politician, handing a Lego set labeled "Nur-Sultan LRT" to a child, only for it to contain unfinished concrete pillars.[13]

References
  1. "President launches construction of Astana light rail line - Railway Gazette". Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  2. "Около 50 легкорельсовых трамваев планируют запустить в Астане к EXPO-2017". 13 December 2012.
  3. "First pictures of light rail train system in Astana revealed". The Astana Times. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  4. "Astana light rail framework agreement signed - Railway Gazette". www.railwaygazette.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-15.
  5. "Astana to begin light rail system construction in May". The Astana Times. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  6. "What will the LRT look like in Astana?". YouTube. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  7. Kumenov, Almaz (2019-04-17). "Kazakhstan: Nur-Sultan goes off the rails". Eurasianet. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  8. Moldabekov, Daniyar (2021-10-29). "Plastic flowers wilt in Kazakhstan's latest spending scandal". Eurasianet. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  9. Sorbello, Paolo (2021-10-16). "Kazakhstan's Light Rail Corruption Case Drags on". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  10. 哈萨克斯坦首都阿斯塔纳轨道交通构想 - Ministry of Commerce,PRC Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
  11. "First pictures of light rail train system in Astana revealed". The Astana Times. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  12. "Astana answers mobility challenges by building its light rail system - Railway PRO Communication Platform". Railway PRO Communication Platform. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  13. "ИРИНА КАЙРАТОВНА - 5000 [MV]". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
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