On guard for safety: KTZ for increased responsibility at crossings and tracks

15-08-2025

An extended meeting on rail safety issues was held at JSC NC KTZ, chaired by Murat Toregeldin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Company.

Railway workers, representatives of state and law enforcement agencies gathered at the round table. Measures to minimize collisions with people, livestock, accidents and derailments of rolling stock on the access roads of private branch owners were discussed. The activities of the Roadmap for improving the level of safety and property security on the railways of Kazakhstan for 2025-2027 were also considered.

The meeting participants noted that the main cause of injuries on the railway is still the violation of safety rules by citizens and car owners. Crossing railway tracks in unauthorized places, sometimes with headphones, alcohol intoxication, and neglect of car drivers' rules for driving through railway crossings are the main reasons for the sad statistics.

Often, only the professionalism of locomotive crews can prevent collisions. Over the first 6 months of 2025, drivers applied 288 emergency brakes due to strangers entering the tracks, and prevented 54 accidents at crossings.

The meeting emphasized the need to continue joint work to tighten penalties for strangers crossing railroad tracks in unauthorized places and driving through a red light at crossings, and to consider the possibility of introducing an automatic system for video and photo recording of violators using modern technologies.

Failure to comply with the rules for grazing livestock near the railroad poses a threat to the safety of trains and the lives of passengers. KTZ is systematically building fences to prevent livestock from entering the railroad tracks. In 2025, more than 12,000 km of fences will be erected and repaired. Over the past six months, the number of collisions with livestock has decreased by 33%.

In addition, KTZ has sent a recommendation to akimats, together with law enforcement agencies and livestock owners, to organize chipping of livestock to determine their location and promptly respond when approaching sections of the railway track.

The railway workers are concerned about theft of track superstructure elements. Over the first 6 months of this year, 6 cases of theft and 4 cases of equipment damage have been recorded. According to Marat Shakenov, Director of the Security Department of JSC NC KTZ, it is also necessary to toughen the punishment for theft and resume the practice of patrolling scrap metal collection points.

Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the issues of unsatisfactory maintenance of the infrastructure of private enterprises adjacent to KTZ stations.

This round table also considered issues of construction by local executive bodies of overpasses, tunnels and pedestrian bridges at the intersections of railways and roads and in areas with intensive pedestrian traffic.

It was noted that only through coordinated joint work will positive results be achieved in terms of reducing the incidence of collisions with people, accidents, thefts and derailments of rolling stock on the access roads of private branch owners.

JSC NC KTZ will continue to work on the implementation of the planned measures aimed at ensuring safe transportation conditions.

Press service of JSC «NC«Kazakhstan Temir Zholy»