Marat Karabaev noted that there are currently 14 private railway carriers operating in the market.
“Their wagons are quite old. There is also a private carrier operating on the route ‘Astana – Kostanay,’ and their activities are currently being checked, with stricter requirements being imposed on private carriers — to the extent that if necessary, we will consider terminating contractual obligations with a private carrier if they do not update their fleet,” the minister added.
He further mentioned that efforts have been underway in recent years to modernize the wagon fleet.
“It is not feasible to update the entire fleet of passenger wagons in a single day or year. As of now, the passenger wagon fleet consists of 2,672 units, of which, unfortunately, 943 units have exceeded their lifespan — meaning they have been in service for 28 years or more. Work is being done to extend their service life, and they are still being used. However, starting in 2023, there has been a significant increase in the supply of new passenger wagons. In 2023, 118 units were delivered, in 2024 — 143, and in 2025 — 226 units are expected. So, we are gradually renewing these old wagons,” the head of the Ministry of Transport noted.
He also explained why it is not possible to retire these old wagons at the moment.
“There is valid criticism regarding the use of old wagons, but we have addressed this issue as well — if we remove these 943 old wagons from operation, we would face a ticket shortage. Unfortunately, we are currently forced to continue using these wagons. However, over the past two years, we have significantly updated the wagon fleet and are replacing them,” Karabaev concluded.