KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakhstan Temir Zholy transported 157.1 million tonnes of freight across its network in the first half of 2026, as exports increased by 2.9 million tonnes year on year.

Freight wagons passing a grain elevator near Shu station in Kazakhstan
Freight wagons pass a grain elevator north of Shu station in Kazakhstan. Illustrative image; it does not depict the reported 2026 grain shipments. Photo: Vmenkov / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Exports lift KTZ freight volumes

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) said in its official half-year update that total freight volume was 3.5% higher than in the same period of 2025. Domestic shipments reached 82.2 million tonnes, while export traffic climbed to 45.6 million tonnes.

Coal remained the largest commodity group. KTZ moved 51.3 million tonnes during January–June, a 4% year-on-year increase. Of that total, 35.4 million tonnes went to customers within Kazakhstan and 15.9 million tonnes was exported.

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Grain-related traffic records faster growth

Grain traffic reached 7.3 million tonnes, up 10% from the first half of 2025. Exports accounted for 5.6 million tonnes and rose by 11% year on year.

Processed grain products recorded even faster export growth. KTZ transported 1.1 million tonnes of milled products for export, an increase of 20%, while compound feed shipments advanced by 51% to 2 million tonnes.

The industry report based on KTZ data also listed 13.3 million tonnes of petroleum cargo, 11.6 million tonnes of iron ore and 10.4 million tonnes of non-ferrous ore. Construction materials accounted for 9.1 million tonnes, while ferrous metals contributed another 8.1 million tonnes.

The figures leave coal as the dominant flow by volume, while the strongest percentage gains came from grain-related categories rather than the much larger coal movement.

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