Almaty residents filmed huge queues at the Bauyrzhan Momyshuly metro station. The footage was shared by user dauletkyzy_aknur on Threads: the video shows a large number of passengers standing in line to enter the station, according to infohub.kz.
"Bauyrzhan Momyshuly station, a queue at 08:30. What a disgrace," the passenger wrote.
The post sparked debate and discussion. Many city residents asked in the comments for the metro to start operating earlier.
"Once Kalkaman opens, the queue will start from the street," "Can the intervals be shortened in the mornings? There's the same crowd downstairs," "To shorten the intervals, there need to be many more cars and people need to have culture," "And this is the terminal station, so what's it like at the others," "In the morning the trains should run without stopping," Almaty residents write.
The post drew a response from the Almaty city transport department. It provided information from the KGP "Metropolitan." It is reported that the crowding of passengers at the B. Momyshuly station is linked to the simultaneous arrival of several buses, which leads to an increase in passenger flow and the formation of queues at the turnstiles.
The station has two vestibules equipped with 12 turnstiles: 4 for payment via the QR system and 8 via the "Onay" system. According to the approved schedule, 4 employees work per shift.
"Additional delays arise from difficulties with paying fares through mobile applications and insufficient balances among some passengers. In such cases, inspectors provide the necessary assistance. In addition, the layout features of the first vestibule limit throughput during peak passenger flow hours. The station is operating normally. Metro employees are taking the necessary measures to ensure the organized passage of passengers through the turnstiles," the response says.