In southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Uzbekistan, about 11 thousand wagons have accumulated, most of which are carrying grain. Some of them have already been stationary for six days. The reasons for this congestion were explained by representatives of the national company "Қазақстан темір жолы" to the 24KZ film crew.
The situation on the southern railway lines, particularly at the Shengel'dy station, is characterized by all tracks for receiving and dispatching being filled with wagons. A similar picture is observed at the stations of Zhilga and Darbaza. More than 11 thousand wagons are stuck heading towards Uzbekistan, over 5000 of which are carrying grain. All of them are waiting for permission to depart.
According to Gabit Suynov, the station master of "Darbaza":
- Trains should not be delayed at our "Darbaza" station; they need to be sent further. However, since the "Saryagash" station is not accepting trains, they are piling up here. We are forced to hire security and monitor the cargo, some of which are in transit. There are fines for delays, and the responsibility falls on us. Some trains have been standing for five to six days. The company "Қазақстан темір жолы" explains that the Uzbek railway has been slowly accepting trains heading towards "Saryagash" in recent weeks.
Nurdaulet Baigaziev, director of the Shymkent branch of "KTZ - cargo transportation," added: - Unloading is slow, and the volumes are very large. This year, the amount of grain is 1 million tons more compared to 2024. In 2024, we delivered 20% more wagons and trains in 11 months. This is a good volume, but grain is a seasonal cargo that everyone tries to transport in the fall. The Uzbek side is currently developing its infrastructure.
To expedite the process, KTZ has provided Uzbekistan with its locomotives. Journalists also visited the "Saryagash" station, where operations are conducted around the clock under increased load to avoid the accumulation of wagons.
Ekaterina Popkova, correspondent: - Experts note that without improving infrastructure, it will be difficult to solve the problem. In the Turkestan region, new railway tracks are being built on the instruction of the Head of State, which will allow unloading the "Saryagash" station by 40%. At the same time, other issues in the industry were discussed in the Mazhilis.
Deputy Yulia Kuchinskaya expressed the opinion that Kazakhstan is not fully utilizing its vast transit potential. The AMANAT party faction has prepared amendments to the legislation.
Yulia Kuchinskaya, deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
- We believe it is necessary to establish clear and stable rules for prioritizing cargo, as well as to ensure transparency in the distribution of rolling stock and in technological delays. It is essential to balance the responsibilities of the parties, excluding the shifting of the consequences of technological violations onto businesses. It is also necessary to digitize transport flows and synchronize infrastructure and logistics operations, including monitoring border nodes. The implementation of digital tools for forecasting and monitoring loading is also an important task. KTZ assures that logistics optimization is constantly occurring to keep cargo flows stable both within the country and for export. According to the Shymkent branch, cargo transportation in the south of the country will soon return to its usual rhythm.
