First Deputy Prime Minister Criticizes Pace of Almaty-1 Railway Station Reconstruction

First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurlybek Nalibayev, conducted an inspection visit to the Almaty-1 railway station modernization project. According to the government’s press service, the current pace of construction and installation work was severely criticized during the visit.

The modernization efforts at the facility commenced in March 2025. Delays in construction progress were previously highlighted at the government level in November last year. Consequently, in February of this year, the Ministry of Transport announced that the facility was scheduled to be commissioned by the end of December. However, while the project and estimate documentation has been uploaded to the state expert review portal, the deadline for receiving the relevant conclusion has been postponed to August 11 of this year.

The First Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the prolonged construction is causing significant inconvenience to the public, especially considering the high passenger volume: the station handles approximately 12,000 passengers per day during the summer season and about 7,000 in the winter.

"Inconveniences are being created for residents and guests year-round. The designated volume of work has not been completed on time. The pace of work at such an important facility located in a major megacity is entirely unsatisfactory. With the summer holiday season approaching, it is urgent to expedite the reconstruction process," Nurlybek Nalibayev stated.

Following the inspection, the management of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy was instructed to complete the modernization within the shortest timeframe possible. The Akimat of Almaty was tasked with monitoring the pace of work on a daily basis. Furthermore, the contracting organization was ordered to accelerate the expert review of the project documentation and ensure the timely delivery of necessary engineering equipment.

The scope of the project includes a comprehensive upgrade of the station building and its entire infrastructure, specifically modernizing engineering networks, power supply, ventilation, digital monitoring, and security systems.