Astana Light Metro
| Astana Light Metro | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Astana Light Metro train | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Astana, Kazakhstan |
| Transit type | Light metro |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 18 |
| Website | https://cts.gov.kz/ |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 16 May 2026 |
| Operator(s) | City Transportation Systems |
| Number of vehicles | 15 trains, 4 in reserve |
| Train length | 4 carriages per trainset |
| Technical | |
| System length | 22.4 km (13.9 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge[1] |
| Electrification | 750 V DC from third rail |
| Average speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
| Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
The Astana Light Metro (Tarlan Astana) is a light metro system located in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is the capital of the country with a population of over 1.6 million.[2] The system was officially opened on 16 May 2026, and renamed to Tarlan Astana on 2 July 2026.
History
[edit]
The initial plan was termed "LRT", yet images show light metro trains.[3] Construction should have finished roughly about the same time as the Almaty Metro, which was estimated for 2010. However, completion was postponed several times, in 2011 completion was scheduled to coincide with Expo 2017[4] and by October 2017 the first stage was planned to be commissioned in December 2019.[3] Project authority Astana LRT LLP signed an agreement with a consortium of China Railway International Group (subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited) and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co for construction of the first phase of the capital’s urban rail project on 7 May 2015.[5] Construction began in May 2017.[6]
The light metro is part of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev's Kazakhstan 2030 economic plan to transform Kazakhstan into an economic power.
Video renders of the proposed system show the lines built on viaducts running adjacent to roads, with enclosed stations offering heating and ventilation systems to protect passengers from the extreme weather variations in the city.[7]
The Chinese company constructing the project went bankrupt in early 2019, causing the city government to order an indefinite suspension of the project.[8] The half-built remnants of the project became a prominent symbol of corruption within the country.[9][10]
In 2023, construction restarted and the system was planned to open by 2024-2025.[11] In 2024, it was clarified that the system was planned to open in 2025, later postponed to May 2026. The Astana light metro will feature ground and elevated stations, with 18 stations spanning a total length of 22.4 kilometers. It will also launch 19 units of rolling stock, each capable of carrying 652 passengers.[12] In 2025, the first trains from CRRC Tangshan were delivered.[2]
Line 1
[edit]The 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) North-South route links Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport with Astana-Nurly Zhol station via the modern "Left Bank" area of the city center. The line has 18 stops and one depot.[15] Capacity is estimated to be 146,000 people per day.[16][3]
A total of 19 trains[17] run on the line at average intervals of 4–5 minutes. Each train has a capacity of 652 passengers.[18]
In August 2025, the Astana City Administration approved the final names for Line 1 stations.[19] Previously, all stations were numbered from 101 to 118, with the first digit indicating the line and the other digits numbering the stations in sequential order, starting from the Airport station.
| Station number | Station name | Station name (Kazakh) |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | Airport | Әуежай / Äuejai |
| 102 | Atameken | Атамекен / Atameken |
| 103 | Esil | Есіл / Esıl |
| 104 | Mangilik El | Мәңгілік ел / Mäñgılık el |
| 105 | Astana Juldyzy | Астана жұлдызы / Astana jūldyzy |
| 106 | Nura | Нұра / Nūra |
| 107 | University | Университет / Universitet |
| 108 | Uly Dala | Ұлы дала / Ūly dala |
| 109 | Astana Arena | Астана Арена / Astana Arena |
| 110 | Martial Arts Palace | Жекпе-жек сарайы / Jekpe-jek saraiy |
| 111 | Syganaq | Сығанақ / Syğanaq |
| 112 | Baiterek | Бәйтерек / Bäyterek |
| 113 | House of Ministries | Министрліктер үйі / Minisrtrlıkter üiı |
| 114 | National Museum | Ұлттық Мұражай / Ūlttyq Mūrajai |
| 115 | Theatre | Театр / Teatr |
| 116 | Mynjyldyq Alley | Мыңжылдық аллеясы / Myñjyldyq alleiasy |
| 117 | Jibek Joly | Жібек жолы / Jıbek joly |
| 118 | Nurly Jol | Нұрлы жол / Nūrly jol |
Further phases
[edit]Phase 2
[edit]An extension to Qosshy is currently under construction.[20]
Future plans (part of phase 2) could also extend the metro to Astana-1 station and the Zhagalau residential district.[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "500 м рельсов уложено на участке LRT в Астане".
- 1 2 "First train delivered to Astana light metro". www.mainspring.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- 1 2 3 "First pictures of light rail train system in Astana revealed". The Astana Times. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ↑ "Около 50 легкорельсовых трамваев планируют запустить в Астане к EXPO-2017". 13 December 2012.
- ↑ "Astana light rail framework agreement signed". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015.
- ↑ "Astana to begin light rail system construction in May". The Astana Times. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ↑ "What will the LRT look like in Astana?". YouTube. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ↑ Kumenov, Almaz (17 April 2019). "Kazakhstan: Nur-Sultan goes off the rails". Eurasianet. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ↑ Moldabekov, Daniyar (29 October 2021). "Plastic flowers wilt in Kazakhstan's latest spending scandal". Eurasianet. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ↑ Sorbello, Paolo (16 October 2021). "Kazakhstan's Light Rail Corruption Case Drags on". The Diplomat. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ↑ "Kazakhstan splurges to get Astana light rail back on track". eurasianet. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ↑ "LRT to Be Commissioned This Autumn in Astana".
- ↑ "Central Asia's first urban light rail has just launched in Astana". Time Out. 4 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Kazakhstan opens its first automated metro Tramways & Urban Transit issue 1063 July 2026 page 247
- ↑ Informburo (26 July 2023). "Где будут останавливаться поезда ЛРТ в Астане". informburo.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ↑ 哈萨克斯坦首都阿斯塔纳轨道交通构想 - Ministry of Commerce, PRC Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Запуск LRT в Астане: как он изменит рынок недвижимости". inbusiness.kz (in Russian). 25 March 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ↑ "Аким Астаны: При запуске LRT на поездах будут ездить 25 тысяч человек в сутки". Forbes.kz (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ↑ "Карта станций LRT в Астане". Oryn.kz.
- ↑ Kemelova, Fatima. "Astana LRT Carries 1 Million Passengers in Two Weeks, Says Mayor - The Astana Times". astanatimes.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
- ↑ Pokidaev, Dmitry (18 May 2026). "Astana Launches First Light Rail Transit Service After Years of Delay - The Times Of Central Asia". Retrieved 10 June 2026.
