At an extended meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, a target was set to transport 343.6 million tonnes of goods by rail in 2026 (as compared to 320 million tonnes in 2025). This will contribute to the fulfilment of the government’s target of increasing transit freight volumes to 55 million tonnes per year.

KTZ Express – a freight traffic operator and subsidiary of the “KTZ NC” JSC – summarised the results for 2025. The company’s main achievements have been noted on international routes: for instance, on the International North-South Transport Corridor, the freight volumes have tripled as compared to 2024; on the Central Transport Corridor, the volumes of exported goods have increased by 71 %, and the volumes of transit goods have increased by 15 %.

In mid-February 2026, KTZ Express – a freight traffic operator and subsidiary of the “KTZ NC” JSC – launched a pilot shipment of grain (rice) to Belgium via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The cargo travelled by rail from Kyzylorda to the port of Aktau and from the western coast of the Caspian Sea to the Georgian port of Poti, then by sea across the Caspian Sea and, finally, between the ports of Poti and Antwerp. The final transport stage is being carried out with assistance from the international shipping company CMA CGM. The time of transportation has amounted to nearly 30 days.

At Astana station, the “KTZ NC” JSC will conduct a pilot run of a floor-mounted intelligent control system for monitoring the condition of rolling stock, developed using the KinetiX technology of the American company Wabtec. The system was scheduled to be put into operation in the first quarter of 2026.

The “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company” JSC (“KTZ NC” JSC) and the Chinese state-owned holding company SPSI Cloud Port Development are working on a project to build an agro-logistic hub in Kokshetau (Akmola Region) on an area of 40 hectares, with a processing capacity of 1 million tonnes of goods annually.

During the official visit to Pakistan by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the transport authorities of the two countries signed memoranda of understanding on the implementation of joint transport and logistics projects. The parties discussed the prospects for the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway route project, as well as the potential of the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

2026 is a significant year for the Organisation for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD): it marks its 70th anniversary, whereas the documents that make up the basis of transport law in the OSJD region – the Agreement on International Passenger Traffic (SMPS)

In 2026, the Organisation for Cooperation between Railways celebrates its 70^th anniversary. It is significant that this year, the 40^th anniversary meeting of the Conference of General Directors (Authorized Representatives) of OSJD Railways (CGD) is being held in the Republic of Kazakhstan – the country, located on the crossroads of major international railway routes on the Eurasian continent in the North-South and East-West directions, and where railway transport is actively developing, making up the backbone of the transport system not only in the country but also in the region as a whole.

The locomotives of the 1216 and 380 classes have been announced for sale. České dráhy has launched the previously announced sale of redundant electric locomotives, which are present in small numbers in its rolling stock or do not correlate with the standardisation programme of the locomotive fleet. These are heavy-duty,

In accord with the Work Plan of the OSJD Commission on Freight Traffic for 2026, meeting of the representatives of railways and foreign trade organisations