DUSHANBE, April 19, 2013, Asia-Plus – On Thursday April 18, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received Askar Mamin, head of Kazakhstan’s state railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ).
According to the Tajik president’s official website, the sides discussed bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in the field of rail transportation.
Renewal of rolling stock of Tajik state railway company, Rohi Ohani Tojikiston (Tajik Railways), and training of personnel for Tajik railway company were a major topic of the meeting.
To-date, Tajikistan has purchased four locomotives from Kazakh locomotive producer, Kurastyru Zauyty, and the contract for eight other locomotives has been signed.
Rahmon and Mamin also discussed a number of other issues being of mutual interest, the source said.
Tajikistan’s rolling-stock now includes more than 2,000 cargo cars, 424 passenger carriages and 55 diesel locomotives.
The total length of rails in Tajikistan is reportedly more than 950 kilometers; of that, 680 kilometers are the main railways. At present Tajik Railways offers two routes to the Russian Federation (Dushanbe-Moscow and Kulob-Moscow) and two domestic routes (Dushanbe-Konibodom and Dushanbe-Pakhtaobod). The Khujand-Saratov (Russia) route has been suspended due to low passenger traffic.
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, is the national railway company of Kazakhstan. Founded by the government in 2002 as a joint stock company KTZ’s task is to develop, operate, and maintain railway transportation in Kazakhstan. It is headquartered in Astana. Related stock companies own the rolling stock, the hauling equipment, and the passenger transport division. Repair facilities have been privatized. Private companies may own or rent rolling stock that can use the rail system. KTZ reportedly controls about 15,000-kilometer track, which is being expanded. The Kazakhstan sections of the old Trans-Aral Railway, the Trans-Caspian railway, and the Turkestan-Siberia Railway have become incorporated into the KTZ.
