Kazakhstan rail coal shipments rise 1.5% to 77.8M tons

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 12. Kazakhstan transported 77.8 million tons of coal by rail in the first nine months of 2026, up 1.5% compared to the same period last year, when the volume totaled 76.6 million tons.

This was reported by the country's Ministry of Transport.

“Of the total volume, 25 million tons were transported for export, while more than 51 million tons were transported domestically,” the ministry said.

From May 1 to September 30, 2026, during preparations for the upcoming heating season, 28.1 million tons of coal were transported across the country.

“This figure is in line with the same period of the previous heating season. Of the total volume, 25.8 million tons were delivered to combined heat and power plants (CHPs), while another 2.3 million tons were allocated for household and municipal needs. Fuel reserves at all CHPs are above or at the required level,” the ministry said.

Kazakhstan's planned demand for household and municipal coal for the current heating season stands at 7.3 million tons, down 154,000 tons from the previous season. The ministry attributed the decline to the expansion of gasification across the country.

To ensure coal transportation, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy subsidiary Kaztemirtrans has deployed 18,500 wagons out of its total fleet of 27,000 gondola cars. During peak periods, a reserve of up to 3,000 wagons is formed.

“Coal transportation for the heating season is proceeding as normal, with no restrictions or problems related to the availability of rolling stock,” the ministry said.