Trial operation of passenger carriages manufactured by Stadler Rail has revealed technical issues, resulting in a delay to their deployment on routes. The carriages will be put into service once the faults have been rectified.
WHAT THE TESTS REVEALED
According to Deputy Transport Minister Maksat Kaliakparov, the carriages were initially scheduled for launch in April, but during the test phase, the operator recorded a number of technical faults.
"Stadler has committed to rectifying them, and within the next month, we plan to accept them into service and launch them on the route," said Maksat Kaliakparov at a government briefing.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The situation with the delay and identified faults confirms the previously stated risks regarding technical compatibility. In December 2025, FBRK pointed out potential discrepancies between the carriage parameters and the platform infrastructure, including a potentially insufficient gap for safe passenger boarding.
Earlier, Transport Minister Nurlan Saurenbayev confirmed that the delivery of 51 carriages had been delayed. According to him, the reason was differences in technical standards between Switzerland and Kazakhstan, as well as additional questions raised by JSC NC "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy" (KTZ) regarding the characteristics of the carriages.
The Minister also called for the situation not to be politicised, noting that it concerns routine technical issues.