For the first time in Kazakhstan: a double-stack container transport platform has been successfully tested in operations at TLC Zhetygen.

On October 17, 2024, JSC KTZ Express, together with a number of key partners, carried out the first test transportation using a double-stack container platform along the Altynkol – Zhetygen – Altynkol route. This transportation format was implemented for the first time in the history of Kazakhstan at the terminal of TLC Zhetygen, opening a new chapter in the country’s transport logistics and across the entire 1520 mm gauge space (the rail gauge of CIS countries).

The project was carried out with the participation of the KTZE dry port, LLP KTZ-Freight Transportation, the terminal of TLC Zhetygen, and JSC ZIKSTO, which provided specialized four-axle wagons. The official presentation of this model has not yet taken place, which adds additional uniqueness to the project.

Istkomtrans, as the railway operator and terminal manager, sees great potential in double-stack container transportation for the national network and economy. The innovation will:
• Increase the number of containers per train, allowing for the transport of 156 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) instead of 108 TEU, optimizing transportation and logistics operations.
• Improve the efficiency of the existing limited infrastructure capacity by 25–44%.

We are ready to facilitate the introduction of the platform into industrial operation, taking into account that the section of track from the border to our terminal is short but heavily loaded.

A possible decision by KTZ to allow operation of platforms with an axle load of 25 tons on this route will give an additional boost to transportation efficiency, especially for the export of heavy cargo to China in 20-foot containers.

TLC Zhetygen may become a site for the regular use of double-stack platforms, and further research will explore the possibility of scaling the project to other routes. The introduction of such solutions will increase throughput capacity and reduce logistics costs, providing a competitive advantage for Kazakhstani freight operators.

This technology is widely used in the United States, and now Kazakhstan is also taking a step toward modern global standards of container transportation. The first test wagon successfully arrived at TLC Zhetygen, marking only the beginning of a new stage in the development of the transport industry in our country and Central Asia.