Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city with a population of more than two million, is laying tram tracks again, more than a decade after shutting down its old network. The authorities aim to open the first 18.3-kilometer light rail transit (LRT) line in December 2027. The city has allocated 61.4 billion tenge (approximately $136 million) for construction in 2026, but the authorities have yet to disclose the project’s total cost. As construction closes streets and disrupts traffic, some residents are questioning why the city dismantled its old tram system only to build a new one.
The Project
The new line will run from an industrial area in western Almaty through central districts to the Almaty-2 railway station and the Raiymbek Batyr transport hub. Unlike the elevated LRT system in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, Almaty’s tracks will be laid at street level, separated from road traffic by curbs.
City authorities say a ground-level line is less expensive than the elevated system in Astana.
The project is being built by Kazakhstan’s Integra Construction KZ. China’s CRRC is being considered as a supplier of rolling stock, with the parties signing a memorandum of intent in June. The proposed five-section trams would carry up to 283 passengers each. City officials estimate that the line could carry more than 100,000 passengers a day, slightly below the roughly 122,000 passengers Almaty’s metro handles on a typical weekday.
The groundwork for the new tram line along Tole Bi Street, Almaty. Image: TCA
Public Opinion
Speaking to The Times of Central Asia (TCA), 25-year-old entrepreneur Sanzhar Uvashev questioned the need for the new project after the dismantling of the previous tram network.
“There used to be trams running through the city. Then they removed them, and now they want to build an LRT. Why remove one system only to build practically the same thing again?” he said.
Tram services in Almaty ended on October 31, 2015. An inspection found the tracks to be unsafe after 43 derailments had occurred over just nine and a half months. The city decided to discontinue operations on the old network. By May 2026, workers were removing the remaining rails on Tole Bi Street to make way for new construction.
Abai Kazbayev, a 40-year-old actor who also spoke to TCA, does not oppose bringing trams back but fears another prolonged construction project.
“Perhaps it really will help ease traffic congestion in the future. The main thing is that construction doesn’t drag on for years again,” he said.
Sections of the street are closed periodically, while hoardings advertise the coming trams. Image: TCA
Why Not Expand the Metro?
Raushan Otan, a 46-year-old art historian interviewed by TCA, believes the city should focus on expanding its existing subway system.
“It would make much more sense to continue building the metro and developing the transport system we already have,” she said.
Construction of Almaty’s metro began in 1988, during the Soviet era. It welcomed its first passengers in 2011, 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, the system consists of a single line with eleven stations.
The Kalkaman station, originally scheduled to open in 2025, is now expected to begin operating by the end of 2026, while three additional stations in western Almaty are planned by 2030.
The city’s road infrastructure department says the LRT is designed as part of a single transport network. Future extensions would connect western and eastern transport hubs, allowing passengers to transfer to the metro and bus services.
Traffic Disruptions and Shifting Deadlines
Almaty has been discussing light rail since the early 2000s. In December 2023, then-mayor Yerbolat Dossayev promised construction would begin in the fall of 2024 and be completed in 2026. That schedule has since been superseded.
As recently as May 2026, construction was still expected to take place between 2027 and 2029, with the project’s feasibility study undergoing state review. Yet by September, workers were already laying tracks on Bauyrzhan Momyshuly Street, and the planned launch date had been moved forward to December 2027.
Since May, LRT construction has disrupted traffic on Tole Bi Street, one of Almaty’s main thoroughfares. In September, sections of the street were closed on at least three occasions. The city is also acquiring 270 land plots across four districts for the project.
Urban planning expert Adil Nurmakov supports the development of rail transport but criticizes the lack of transparency in decision-making. Speaking to Tengrinews, Nurmakov said no open tender was held for construction. Work is already underway, yet the total cost has not been finalized, and a rolling-stock supplier has still not been selected.
Public skepticism is also fueled by the history of the LRT project in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital. Construction of the elevated line dragged on for years and was accompanied by criminal cases involving the embezzlement of public funds. Passenger services finally began in May 2026.
Urban planning expert Alikhan Kusherbayev told Tengrinews that the LRT was needed. However, he suggested abandoning the LRT acronym altogether, arguing that in Kazakhstan it has become closely associated with the prolonged construction and corruption scandals surrounding the capital’s line.