Almaty Light Rail

The Almaty Light Rail is a light rail line planned to serve Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty.

Background
Trams in Almaty served the city between 1937 and 2015. It was one of the four tramways of Kazakhstan which continuously operated from their opening dates. The network went into decline starting in the late 20th century, with most of its former routes closed by 2010. Operation of the remaining tram network was halted and indefinitely suspended on 31 October 2015.

In 2011, the first section of a metro opened between Raiymbek Batyr and Alatau was constructed. Soon after this, in 2016 the next section of the line was completed to Moskva. Finally, in 2022, the section to Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was completed. The system runs seven 4-car trains, produced by Hyundai Rotem of South Korea. Plans for a second line are underway.

Route
The 22.7 km line contains 36 stations and a depot in the Alatau district. The line links Almaty’s principal avenues, passing through Momyshuly and Töle Bi Street, Panfilov street to Astana Square, and down Makatayev and Zhetysuskaya streets.