PRESIDENT Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan opened the first metro line in the capital Astana on May 16.
The 22.4km elevated light metro runs from Nurly Zhol, Astana’s main station, south via the national museum, Astana Arena and the university to the city’s international airport. The line has 18 stations of which 11 are at street level and seven are elevated.
The light metro is designed for driverless operation at Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) and can operate at 4-5-minute headways. The light metro has capacity to transport 146,000 passengers per day.
The project was implemented by Chinese contractors including China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) which built 18.34km of the new line, 14 stations, and the depot, while CRRC Tangshan supplied a fleet of 19 four-car trains.
For more information on Asian metro projects, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
