Railway workers withstood the vagaries of nature

28-03-2024

 In the period from December 14 to 18 this year. A powerful cyclone covered the southern region of the country. A local natural emergency was declared in the Kordai and Shu districts of the Zhambyl region.
To coordinate the movement of trains in emergency situations, an operational headquarters was created in KTZ with the participation of all involved services and the leadership of the Transport Police Department.

Due to deteriorating weather conditions (heavy snowfall, gusty winds, poor visibility, sharp drop in air temperature), train speed limits were introduced on the Shymkent-Taraz and Shu-Otar railway sections. As a result, over 30 passenger trains were behind schedule.

Railway workers ensured uninterrupted operation of transport around the clock. Priority was given to passenger trains.

To ensure traffic safety and adjust the schedule, the running of six passenger trains in the directions Astana-Almaty-Astana, Atyrau - Almaty, Aktobe - Almaty, Almaty-Zhezkazgan was cancelled.

The snow cyclone caused power outages in the region, which resulted in a forced stop of the Almaty 2 – Atyrau passenger train. The railway workers promptly replaced the electric locomotive with a diesel locomotive.

Along the way, the carriage conductors explained the current situation to passengers and provided the necessary assistance. The national carrier provided meals for 10.8 thousand passengers (5.7 thousand of them in restaurant cars and bar cars, over 5.1 thousand at Shu, Shymkent and Otar stations). The trains were provided with drinking water. The dining cars operated as normal.

In difficult bad weather conditions, railway workers, using snow removal and clearing equipment, managed to clear the tracks in a timely manner. 11 thousand cubic meters of snow were removed.

At stations, passengers and those waiting were notified via loudspeaker communication. For the convenience of passengers, ticket offices operated around the clock. From December 14 to 18, over 5 thousand tickets for canceled trains were returned.

Mobile groups consisting of employees of regional branches of Passenger Transportation JSC and station facilities carried out explanatory work with passengers at stations and platforms, and ensured that passengers were seated in carriages.

During peak load, Passenger Transportation JSC strengthened the work of the call center with 1,433 additional consultants. All necessary information was promptly posted on the website bilet.railways.kz, in the Instagram accounts @railways.kz and @jolaushylar_tasymaly.

Employees of the Transport Police Department, together with KTZ, provided assistance to citizens who found themselves in the emergency zone, helped them get to their destination and ensured the protection of public order at railway stations.

Press service of JSC «NC«Kazakhstan Temir Zholy»