Astana LRT Line 1 Opens Automated Metro Service

Astana LRT Line 1 was opened by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on May 16. He used ticket number 001 for a trip from the airport to Ulttyk Museum. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

At the inauguration, according to Qazinform, Tokayev said the launch was an event of special importance for Astana and Kazakhstan. He added that ‘the capital should eventually develop into a transport hub of Eurasia.’

Astana LRT Line 1 route and service

Despite the LRT name, Railway Gazette International reported that the 22.4 km line has been built as an automated light metro. The 1 520 mm gauge route is fully separated from road traffic. It is designed for a maximum speed of 80 km/h. Also, it has 11 stops at ground level and seven elevated stops.

The line starts at Äuejai station at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in the southeast of Astana. It runs to Nūrly Jol railway station in the east of the city. It serves destinations including the Botanical Garden, Abu Dhabi Plaza, Astana Arena, the House of Ministries and the Grand Mosque. The depot is located northwest of the airport terminus.

Municipally owned City Transportation Systems operates services every 5 to 10 min between 06.00 and 23.00. The end-to-end journey time is 40 min.

LRT development history

Early concepts shown in 2011 covered a 41.8 km north-south route. In May 2015, project promoter Astana LRT LLP signed a framework agreement to implement the project. The agreement was signed with a Chinese consortium led by China Railway International Group.

Construction of the 22.4 km first phase began in May 2017. The project then faced difficulties after a bank backing it ran into problems in 2019. In 2020, Kazakhstan’s then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev stopped construction of the partly built scheme on cost grounds.

The project remained stalled until 2022, when the city announced funding for its relaunch. In 2023, a new agreement was reached with a consortium of China Railway Group and China Construction Sixth Engineering Bureau Co. The company is a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Co.

According to local media, the total project cost remained €1.5bn. That was the figure approved in 2016. At the same time, the technical specifications and train design were updated.

Automated trainsets and second phase

CRRC Tangshan has supplied 19 trainsets for the line. The trainsets were designed specifically for local climate conditions. Railway Supply previously reported the same rolling stock total for the Astana LRT project. Each four-car train is 60 m long. It can carry 600 passengers at 6 passengers/m².

Large-diameter wheels are included to reduce noise. In addition, the trains have an electric heating system. The system is intended to prevent the windows from fogging during sudden temperature changes.

Chinese partners supplied the communications-based train control technology. It supports GoA4 unattended automatic operation.

Astana is planning a second phase of LRT development involving several extensions and new corridors. The planned additions would provide another 26.5 km of route and 20 stations.

The plans include an 8 km extension with nine stations toward the older Astana-1 central railway station. Separately, they include a branch toward the residential district of Zhagala. They also include an extension toward the satellite city of Kosshy, where the first structures are now in place.

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