First Chinese LRT trains to arrive in Astana by June, testing starts in SeptemberThe first two light rail transit (LRT) trains for Astana have been shipped from China's Tangshan city, with delivery expected in June, according to City Transportation Systems (CTS), the capital's public transport operator."The first two trains will arrive in Astana by June 2025, followed by the remaining 17 by year-end. Test runs are scheduled to begin in September," CTS said in a statement.Manufactured by CRRC Tangshan Co., Ltd., the four-section automated trains (Grade 4 automation) can carry up to 650 passengers each.Construction on Astana's LRT line is nearing completion, with ongoing track-laying, station facade installation, and depot construction. The project, first proposed in the 2000s, has faced repeated delays since breaking ground in 2011.The Astana LRT project was initially financed through a $344 million loan from China Development Bank to project operator Astana LRT LLP. After encountering disbursement difficulties, city authorities abandoned the Chinese loan and approved a new funding model involving domestic bond issuance.Astana LRT planned a $1.5 billion bond offering, with $344 million allocated to repay the Chinese debt and $1.2 billion for construction. Later, Kazakhstan's Halyk Bank purchased $400 million of bonds backed by the Finance Ministry's guarantee, while national holding company Baiterek was expected to buy $100 million worth.President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev acknowledged in January 2023 that initiating the LRT project was "a mistake," but cited Astana's lack of buses as necessitating its continuation.In March 2023, the original contractor - China Railway Asia-Europe Construction Investment Co., Ltd consortium - was reappointed to complete the project.Kazakhstan's anti-corruption agency revealed 5.8 billion tenge ($12.4 million) had been embezzled during implementation. Former Astana deputy mayor Kanat Sultanbekov and Astana LRT director Talgat Ardan orchestrated the scheme with help from foreign and Kazakh companies.In May 2023, an Astana court sentenced both men in absentia to nine years' imprisonment after they fled Kazakhstan. Ardan was later arrested in Turkey's Antalya in mid-May by Kazakhstan's National Security Committee. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX