Kazakhstan and China Agree to Expand Rail Transit and Infrastructure

In Beijing, negotiations took place between the Chairman of the Board of JSC "NC "KTZ" (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy), Talgat Aldybergenov, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the state corporation "China Railway", Guo Zhuxue. This meeting marks the third high-level interaction between the railway administrations of Kazakhstan and China in a short period, highlighting their close cooperation.

During the talks, Chinese representatives expressed satisfaction with the steady and sustainable growth in freight transportation volumes recorded in 2025. The parties outlined plans to further increase cargo volumes and train exchanges through interstate border crossing points for 2026.

A key focus was on jointly developing container services along major corridors: TMTM (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route), "China–Europe", "China–Central Asia", and "China–Russia". To strengthen transit potential, agreements were reached to increase the number of container trains, deeply digitalize interaction processes, and implement pre-transmission of information for transport planning and management.

The large-scale collaboration will also encompass infrastructure projects. Plans include synchronizing construction on double-tracking for the Alashankou-Dostyk section, developing terminal capacities, and modernizing sections at Altynkol-Khorgos and Khorgos-Jinghe.

A separate agenda item was advancing the project for a third cross-border railway crossing at Bakhty-Tacheng. This involves determining forecasted cargo volumes and nomenclature. Furthermore, to strengthen cultural ties, the sides discussed launching a tourist train from China to cities in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.