Astana’s light rail transit (LRT) carried 2.1 million passengers in its first full month of operation, slightly trailing the Almaty metro in ridership, according to infohub.kz.
In June, the first full month of operations for the capital’s light rail, 2.1 million passengers used the service, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. The Astana LRT narrowly trailed Almaty metro, which served 2.4 million passengers in the same period.
However, the LRT’s passenger turnover was higher. In June, it reached 46.5 million passenger-kilometers compared to 34.9 million for the Almaty metro, analysts note. The difference is attributed to line lengths: the LRT route spans 22.4 km, while the Almaty metro lines total 13.4 km. Passenger turnover accounts for both the number of trips and the distance traveled.
The LRT section from the airport to the new railway station was launched on May 16. From its opening through the end of June, 3.2 million passengers used this mode of transport. Revenue from passenger transportation over the month and a half amounted to 503.1 million tenge.