This year, construction of key railway lines will be completed, the laying of the Kyzylorda–Aktobe mainline will begin, and the geography of flights will expand with routes to Tokyo and Rome. Speaking at a Government meeting, Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev reported on the development of transport and logistics potential and the achievement of a high cargo handling indicator of 1.7 million tons as part of the implementation of the President’s instructions given at the National Kurultai.
According to him, large-scale development of railway infrastructure is currently underway. Construction continues on the new lines Kyzylzhar–Moyynty and Darbaza–Maktaaral, as well as the modernization of existing sections Altynkol–Zhetygen and Zhezkazgan–Seksеul. The Minister assured that these facilities will be completed within the current year. A large-scale program for the reconstruction of railway stations will also continue.
Nurlan Sauranbayev reported that in the road sector, all major projects will be implemented on a turnkey basis with the involvement of financing from international organizations. He clarified that construction and installation works are underway on the remaining section of the Kyzylorda–Zhezkazgan highway with a length of 208 km, and traffic is planned to be opened by the end of 2026.
The Minister also announced the start, this year, of construction of a four-lane Kyzylorda–Aktobe highway. Regarding the Beineu–Saksaulsky project with a length of 559 km, the head of the Ministry of Transport noted that it will reduce the distance by 900 km and travel time by up to three days. Construction of the Karaganda–Zhezkazgan road and the Saryagash bypass, according to the Minister, will begin in the second half of the year.
In the aviation sector, work is being organized in accordance with a three-year plan approved in December 2025. Nurlan Sauranbayev reported that in 2026 it is planned to resume and open new international routes, as well as increase flight frequencies to Vienna, Tokyo, Rome, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Dammam, Larnaca, Amman, Shanghai, Kashgar, Warsaw, and other cities.
To expand air transit capabilities, as the Minister explained, measures are being implemented to reduce the cost of aviation fuel, and access for “KMG-Aero” to all airports has been ensured. To attract cargo transportation, according to the speaker, work is underway with major foreign companies such as FedEx, UPS, Cargolux, DHL, and Lufthansa Cargo.
By the end of last year, 173 thousand tons of cargo were handled, which is the highest indicator in the region. The Minister emphasized that work in this area will be further intensified.
