Arys Operational Wagon Depot: Over 120 Years of Service to the Railway

28-08-2026

The Arys Operational Wagon Depot supports the operations of KTZ's wagon fleet at one of the key railway hubs in southern Kazakhstan. Depot specialists inspect, service, and repair freight wagons, maintaining their technical integrity and ensuring train traffic safety.

The depot includes a primary wagon maintenance facility at Arys-1 station, six maintenance points, a control and maintenance point at Arys-2 station, and 13 checkpoints across the Arys, Saryagash, Tyulkubas, Turkestan, and Shymkent sections.

An interstate junction point operates in Saryagash. Here, specialists service wagons traveling on international routes to Central Asian countries, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of wagon traffic.

The depot's structure also features six current uncoupling repair points, six passenger wagon wheelset replacement points, and four technical transfer points. Specialists service sections spanning a total length of 2,578 km. Following the launch of the Darbaza–Maktaaral railway line, the depot's service area will expand, increasing the length of the serviced sections. New maintenance points will begin operations at Maktaaral and Erdaut stations along the new route, along with three checkpoints at intermediate stations.

Today, the depot employs 605 people. About 420 specialists inspect and repair wagons. They check the technical condition of rolling stock daily, identifying and fixing defects. They work alongside rolling stock repair mechanics, wagon depot operators and dispatchers, electric/gas welders, compressor unit operators, as well as engineering, technical, and administrative staff. The safety of train traffic and the reliability of transportation depend entirely on the quality of their work.

The history of the wagon department at Arys station spans more than 120 years. It began in 1905 with the opening of the Orenburg–Tashkent railway line. In 1913, a wagon repair enterprise was established at the station. Engineer Viktor Parfenov became its first head. In subsequent years, the enterprise expanded its production capacity, opening wagon assembly, automatic coupler, and woodworking workshops.

During the Great Patriotic War, the enterprise operated in two shifts, repairing wagons that transported cargo to the front lines.

In 1969, VRP-2 was transformed into the wagon depot of the Tashkent Railway. The enterprise continued to expand its production capacity, building a wagon assembly workshop, an administrative building, a sanitary and amenity complex, and a boiler house. In the 1980s, the production facility was expanded with wheel-and-roller and woodworking workshops, a wheelset washing chamber, and an automatic control department. In 1997–1998, the enterprise was reorganized and transformed into the Arys Operational Wagon Depot.

Today, the team continues to develop the depot, expand its service area, and improve production processes.

Press service of JSC «NC«Kazakhstan Temir Zholy»