| Astana Light Metro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Astana, Kazakhstan |
| Transit type | Light metro |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 18 |
| Operation | |
| Operation will start | 2024 |
| Train length | 2 carriages per trainset |
| Technical | |
| System length | 21.5 km (13.4 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,524 mm (5 ft) [1] |
| Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
The Astana Metro is a light rail rapid transit system under construction located in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is the capital of the country with a population of over 1,000,000.
Construction should have finished roughly about the same time as the Almaty Metro, which was estimated for 2010. However, completion has been postponed several times, in 2011 completion was scheduled to coincide with the Expo in 2017 [2] and as of October 2017 the first stage is 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 light rail project on May 7, 2015. [4] Construction began in May 2017. [5]
The light metro is part of 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. [6]
The Chinese company constructing the project went bankrupt early 2019. The city hall ordered an indefinite halt to it. [7] Since then, the half-built remnants of the project have become a prominent symbol of corruption within the country. [8] [9]
Construction has restarted and the LRT is planned to open by 2024-2025.
The 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) North-South route would link Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport with Astana Nurly Zhol railway station via the modern "Left Bank" area of the city centre. The line will have 11 stops and one depot. Capacity is estimated to be 146,000 people per day. [10] [11]
Original plans show further phases to link other areas of the city. [12]
A scene in a music video by Kazakhstani rap group Irina Kairatovna features a man in a suit, meant to be a politician, handing a Lego set labeled "Nur-Sultan LRT" to a child, only for it to contain unfinished concrete pillars. [13]
The vast territory of Kazakhstan spans across 2,700,000 km2 (1,000,000 sq mi). The population density is low in Kazakhstan, and the centers of industry and agriculture are spread out and remote from world markets.
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, from the country’s independence in 1991 until his formal resignation in 2019, and as the Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2022.
Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who has served as the President of Kazakhstan since 2019. Between 20 March and 12 June 2019, he served as acting president after the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had been president for nearly three decades.
Rail transportation in the Philippines is currently used mostly to transport passengers within Metro Manila and provinces of Laguna and Quezon, as well as a commuter service in the Bicol Region. Freight transport services once operated in the country, but these services were halted. However, there are plans to restore old freight services and build new lines. From a peak of 1,100 kilometers (680 mi), the country currently has a railway footprint of 533.14 kilometers (331.28 mi), of which only 129.85 kilometers (80.69 mi) are operational as of 2024, including all the urban rail lines. World War II, natural calamities, underspending, and neglect have all contributed to the decline of the Philippine railway network. In the 2019 Global Competitiveness Report, the Philippines has the lowest efficiency score among other Asian countries in terms of efficiency of train services, receiving a score of 2.4, and ranking 86th out of 101 countries globally. The government is currently expanding the railway network up to 1,900 kilometers (1,200 mi) by 2022 through numerous projects.
Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, alternatively referred by its previous name as Astana International Airport, is the international airport serving Astana, Kazakhstan, the capital and second most populous city in the country. Regionally, it stands as the second-busiest international air passenger gateway into Central Asia after Almaty International Airport (ALA). The airport is also the eight busiest in the Post-Soviet states and the second-busiest airport in terms of total passenger traffic and aircraft movements in Kazakhstan, with ~7,500,000 passengers in 2023, a 25% increase compared with 2022.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public transport operator that is responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and/or lease of Manila Light Rail Transit System in the Philippines. It is organized as a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as an attached agency.
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, is the national railway company of Kazakhstan.
Ahmedjan Smagululy Essimov is a Kazakh politician who's served as the chairman of Samruk-Kazyna from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that, he was the director of Expo 2017 from 2015 to 2017, akim of Almaty from 2008 to 2015, Minister of Agriculture from 2006 to 2008 and 2001 to 2004, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2002 to 2006 and 1994 to 1996, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 1996 to 1998, Acting Head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan and State Secretary of Kazakhstan in 1996.
Karim Qazhymqanuly Massimov is a politician who served as a Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 10 January 2007 to 24 September 2012 and again from 2 April 2014 to 8 September 2016.
The Macau Light Rapid Transit is a mass transit system in Macau and is also the first railway system in Macau. The first phase of the project started construction in February 2012, and the first section of the Taipa line was opened to the public on 10 December 2019, followed by the Barra Station Extend Line on 8 December 2023. MLRT is operated by MTR (Macau), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTR.
Amanat, previously known as Nur Otan until 2022, is a political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. Amanat has been led by Erlan Qoşanov since 26 April 2022.
Expo 2017 Astana was an International Exposition which took place from June 10 to September 10, 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The expo's theme was "Future Energy", and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizations, companies and the general public on the crucial question: "How do we ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions?"
As of 2020, no operational high-speed rail systems exist in Kazakhstan. Two links are planned – between Almaty and Astana, and an international link between Moscow and Beijing that would go through the country.
Nurly Zhol is a US$9 billion domestic economic stimulus plan to develop and modernize roads, railways, ports, IT infrastructure, and education and civil services in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Nurly Zhol plan was announced by Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in November 2014.
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is a financial hub in Astana, Kazakhstan that officially launched on July 5, 2018.
Kazakhstan–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Spain. Both nations are members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Almaty Light Rail is a light rail line planned to serve Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty.
The 2018–2020 Kazakh protests were a series of civil protests that took place in cities across Kazakhstan, commencing in May 2018 and gaining traction after a fire in Nur-Sultan killed five children in February 2019. Some commentators attribute President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev's decision to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev later that month in part to the protests. Nazarbayev later himself resigned on 19 March 2019 and was replaced as president by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the speaker of the upper house of parliament. Nazarbayev continued to hold several political positions. Tokayev called a snap election, the 2019 Kazakh presidential election, which saw him elected with over 70% of the vote. Both the run-up to and the aftermath of the election saw further protests.
Presidency of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev began on 20 March 2019, when he assumed office shortly after resignation long-time President Nursultan Nazarbayev; as a Senate Chairman, Tokayev became the Presidential Designate in accordance to the Constitution and would serve as an acting head of state. After declaring snap presidential elections Tokayev, endorsed by Nazarbayev, become the candidate for the ruling Nur Otan party and swept 71% of the vote in the race, thus becoming officially the 2nd President of Kazakhstan. After being inaugurated on 12 June 2019, Tokayev pledged to uphold many of the previous policies by Nazarbayev and at the same time, continue and accelerate social and political reforms.
