Development of rail passenger transportation: from new cars to digitalization

17-09-2025

The passenger car fleet of JSC Passenger Transportation will be completely renewed by 2030. This was reported during a briefing by JSC Passenger Transportation dedicated to the most significant and open issues in the field of rail passenger transportation.

Car renewal

The rolling stock fleet of JSC Passenger Transportation currently consists of 2,188 cars with an average age of 16 years. Over the past 10 years, the National Carrier's fleet has been renewed by 50%. Thus, as part of the modernization of the rolling stock, an agreement was signed with Stadler, providing for the release of 557 cars by 2030, including compartment cars, reserved seats, specialized cars for people with special needs and generator cars.

Stadler cars will be equipped with a modern air conditioning system, video surveillance, electric heating and an automatic fire extinguishing system. For the comfort of passengers, each compartment will be equipped with electrical outlets and built-in USB ports for charging mobile phones.

The new carriages will be designed specifically for operating conditions in Kazakhstan, taking into account the climatic conditions and long distances between cities.

According to the terms of the contract, the first batch of carriages will be transferred to JSC Passenger Transportation by the end of 2025. In addition, the plant will undertake the maintenance of the delivered carriages for a period of 20 years, which will ensure their uninterrupted operation and extend their service life.

К слову, первую партию вагонов Stadler со следующего года запустят на 4 маршрутах: №3/4 «Астана - Алматы», №353/354 «Астана - Семей», №85/86 «Астана - Шымкент», №47/48 «Астана - Атырау». 

By the way, the first batch of Stadler carriages will be launched on 4 routes from next year: No. 3/4 Astana - Almaty, No. 353/354 Astana - Semey, No. 85/86 Astana - Shymkent, No. 47/48 Astana - Atyrau. In addition, JSC Passenger Transportation continues cooperation with JSC ZIKSTO for the supply of passenger cars developed using the technology of the Tver Carriage Works. In total, the National Carrier received 255 cars, 18 electric train cars (MVPS) from 2022-2025, and another 63 will arrive by the end of the year.

All cars of JSC ZIKSTO are equipped with modern amenities and safety systems. They have air conditioners, air filters, smoke detectors, bio-toilets, a video surveillance system in the vestibules, and in the compartments, in addition to the usual electrical outlets, there are also USB ports.

The new electric trains are equipped with bio-toilets, comfortable seats, each seat is equipped with a USB port for charging mobile devices, and platform lifts are installed for the convenience of people with disabilities.

Thus, by 2030, it is planned to reduce the average age of the fleet of JSC Passenger Transportation to 10 years and fully provide the cars with an air conditioning system.

It is worth noting that due to the renewal of the car fleet, next year it is planned to launch a new train No. 119/120 running on the Almaty - Kostanay route, formed from Talgo cars. The frequency of trains No. 105/106 Almaty-Petropavlovsk (every other day) and No. 1/2 Almaty-Tashkent (daily) will also be increased.

Digitalization of passenger transportation

As part of the development of digitalization, JSC Passenger Transportation, in partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb, Jusan Mobile and Kaztechnology, launched high-speed satellite Internet in pilot mode on Talgo trains No. 67/68 Astana-Oskemen and 3/4 Astana - Almaty.

The OneWeb system with a low-orbit satellite constellation provides stable Internet even on hard-to-reach sections of the route. The connection speed reaches up to 100 Mbit/s. The connection stability is maintained thanks to equipment adapted for operation on the move and with variable coverage. Mobile terminals for conductors to check tickets, POS terminals for cashless payments and video surveillance systems have also been introduced. All records are automatically saved in the cloud storage, which increases the level of control and security.

In the new generation electric train "Burabay Express" No. 888/887 on the Astana-Borovoye Resort route, access to high-speed Internet connection using Starlink technology has been introduced for the first time. Wi-Fi with a speed of up to 250 Mbit/s allows you to stay in touch, watch movies, work, communicate with family and friends throughout the entire journey. By the end of this year, it is planned to launch the Internet from Starlink on two trains No. 33/34 "Aktobe - Almaty" and No. 21/22 "Kyzylorda - Semey".

До конца текущего года планируется запуск интернета от Starlink на двух составах поездов №33/34 «Актобе - Алматы» и №21/22 «Кызылорда - Семей».

In total, since the launch, over 100 thousand passengers have used the satellite Internet on trains.

The national carrier has also introduced a digital service where Kazakhstanis can receive up-to-date information on the movement of trains, their arrival and departure in real time.

The service was developed as part of the creation of the Situation Center of JSC "Passenger Transportation", which provides continuous monitoring of the train situation. Data from GPS trackers installed on passenger trains is automatically transmitted to the center, where round-the-clock monitoring is carried out. This allows you to determine the current location of trains with high accuracy and promptly update the information

Press service of JSC «NC«Kazakhstan Temir Zholy»