New Stadler trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h will operate in Kazakhstan at an average permitted speed of 60–70 km/h. Anuar Akhmetzhanov, deputy chairman of the board of JSC NC KTZ, explained the reasons at a briefing in Astana, the website infohub.kz reports.
Sergey Leontyev, commercial director of Stadler Kazakhstan LLP, described the technical capabilities of the trainsets: the train can reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, but the permitted average speed in Kazakhstan will be within 60–70 km/h.
Akhmetzhanov linked this to the capabilities of the infrastructure. "This is a matter of safety. We also understand that when both freight and passenger trains run on the same track, the infrastructure requirements cannot be the same. For a train to travel at 160 km/h, the infrastructure is subject to heightened operating requirements. And when a train weighing 6,000 tonnes follows on the same track, that does not make the infrastructure any better," he explained.
He called the established speed of 60 km/h a compromise, since it allows both speed and passenger safety to be ensured.
According to Akhmetzhanov, launching high-speed trains, as in Japan or China, for example, requires a dedicated railway specifically for passenger trainsets. "The costs here would be very high (if such lines were built — Ed.), so we choose a balance between speed and safety. You mention Japan and so on, but those are dedicated tracks for passenger trains; freight trains do not run there," he said.
Recall that today a train with Swiss-made Stadler carriages set off for the first time on the route from the capital's station to Almaty. The first trainsets departed from Astana to Almaty, and a train from Astana to Semey will depart on November 13.