Kazakh tramway set to re-open

The city of Temirtau (population 210 000) in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan is built on a coal field and known for its steel making. The 1524mm-gauge 11km city tramway, opened in 1959 to take workers to the steel plant, was closed in February 2023 due to the state of the tracks and rolling stock. Now new investment has seen the infrastructure renewed and eight large low-floor bogie trams delivered from China (assembled at the QazTehna plant in Saran). The city was hoping to restart operation, probably on a symbolic basis, on City Day, 1 October. The tramway is owned by steelmaker Qarmet (the plant was formerly part of the ArcelorMittal Steel group). The former tramway operated a fleet of UKVZ KTM-5 bogie trams from the 1980s, boosted in 2010 by 12 1979 Tatra KT4D acquired from Potsdam in Germany.