The projected volumes of transportation between Kazakhstan and China for 2020 are approved in the amount of 19 million tons of cargo.

“During the meeting, representatives of the railway administrations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and China approved the forecast volumes of transportation for 2020 in the amount of 19 million tons of cargo,” the press service of the national company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) said in a statement. At the end of 2019, the volume of traffic between Kazakhstan and China amounted to 17.6 million tons. Thus, the volume of traffic in 2020 will increase by 8%. An agreement was also reached between Kazakhstan and China on the adoption of specific measures to ensure unhindered and accelerated passage of trains through border stations, and to increase container traffic along the China – Europe route through Kazakhstan.

“The parties agreed from mid-February of this year to carry out a pilot transportation of iron ore with the rearrangement of the wheelset of wagons from a wide gauge to a narrow gauge by the appointment of the Urumqi station to the Bahamas Metallurgical Plant. Further, to carry out such transportations on an ongoing basis to increase their cargo volumes by rail,” the message says.

Earlier, the press service of KTZ-Freight Transportation (a subsidiary of KTZ) reported that in 2019 railway freight turnover between China and Kazakhstan increased by 25.7% to 17.6 million tons. The volume of cargo received from China increased from 5.5 million tons in 2018 to 6.8 million tons in 2019, or 23.6%. 10.8 million tons were shipped from Kazakhstan to China in 2019 compared to 8.5 million tons in 2018, an increase of 27%. It was explained that the exchange of freight trains through the border crossing Dostyk – Alashankou reached 17 trains per day.

KTZ is a transport and logistics company, part of the Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s national welfare fund. The company manages the railway, sea port, airport infrastructure, transport and logistics centers.