Kazakhstan Sets New Record for Locomotive Production in 2024
Kazakhstan Achieves Record Production of Locomotives and Carriages in 2024
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction, Kanat Sharlapayev, recently announced that in 2024, the country’s plants produced a record 124 locomotives and approximately 2,155 carriages. This achievement was highlighted at a forum dedicated to increasing the localization level in the domestic production of railway engineering, which took place in Astana’s industrial zone on Jan. 9.
According to the ministry’s press service, the railway engineering sector now accounts for nearly 13% of Kazakhstan’s mechanical engineering industry, with a production volume exceeding half a trillion tenge (US$951 million). There are currently 59 enterprises in the industry, employing 8,400 people.
During the first 11 months of 2024, the production of rolling stock in Kazakhstan saw significant growth, with wagons and platforms increasing by 6.5 times, track repair equipment by 4.9 times, locomotives by 12.4%, cylindrical roller bearings by 49.7%, and wheels and gears by 5.2 times.
Key industry players like Alstom and Wabtec are contributing to this growth by focusing on producing high-quality components, assembling electric locomotives, and providing maintenance services to ensure compliance with technical standards. Plans are also underway to expand production capabilities, with Stadler Kazakhstan aiming to manufacture bogies, wagon welding, and electrical control systems in collaboration with local suppliers.
Looking ahead, Kazakhstan’s wagon-building plants are gearing up to meet the demand for open wagons, transformers, and refrigerated cars, with plans to start producing covered wagons and oil and petrol tanks by 2027. Additionally, the country is set to launch an electrometallurgical plant with an annual capacity of one million tons in 2028, as discussed by Pavel Rudovsky, Commercial Director of Railways Systems KZ.
With continued investment and innovation in the railway engineering sector, Kazakhstan is well-positioned to further strengthen its position as a key player in the industry.
