A billion dollars for the metro: will the tram return? What’s in store for Almaty's transportation system?
Erbolat Dosaev has repeatedly discussed plans to enhance the construction of new metro lines this year. These lines are expected to extend, on one side, from the "Zhibek Zholy" station to the airport, and on the other — from the "Bauyrzhan Momyshuly" station to the "Barlyk" market, which is located across the road from the "Altyn Orda" market.
The mayor has previously stated that the city administration is looking for a sponsor from whom they can secure a loan for the construction of these lines. During the final press conference, Dosaev provided more details about the funding for the metro construction.
According to the mayor, a specific creditor who could allocate funds for the continuation of the Almaty metro construction has yet to be identified.
“We are negotiating with various creditors. Firstly, with well-known international financial institutions: IFC, EBRD, the Asian Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the Reconstruction and Development Bank. Today, we are selecting the best conditions that will be offered to us,” Dosaev said.
At the same time, the mayor did not rule out the possibility of creating a consortium of financial donors.
However, while the creditor is not yet identified, it is already known how much money they plan to request. The government of Kazakhstan has approved an amount of up to one billion dollars.
The city administration hopes to build the new lines more quickly than with the previous stations. The construction of the "Saryarka" and "Bauyrzhan Momyshuly" stations stretched from three and a half years to seven. Additionally, the new stations are planned to be fully equipped for people with disabilities to avoid tragedies similar to the one that occurred at the "Abai" station last week. At the existing stations, platform turnstiles are set to be installed by 2025 to prevent fatalities.
While the funding issue is being resolved, the city administration is also addressing land issues. Dosaev shared how they are working on acquiring plots of land that will be needed for the metro construction.
“We are finalizing the purchase of 'Barlyk' itself. There will be a large transport interchange hub there. The metro, BRT, and a potential LRT will all converge in one place. A similar hub will be constructed in the eastern direction on the Kuldzhinsky tract,” Dosaev explained.
Funds in the Almaty budget for land acquisition have already been reserved. However, according to Dosaev, he does not recall a single case where landowners agreed to the price offered by the authorities, which they take from the advertisement website. Therefore, the city administration is already prepared for lawsuits from residents.
About BRT and LRT
Dosaev has previously mentioned the potential introduction of LRT in Almaty, but on December 18, he clarified where it might appear. The mayor was asked if there are plans to return trams to the streets of Almaty, which were eliminated during Bauyrzhan Baibek's tenure.
“We will not be bringing back trams — not all Almaty residents miss them,” Dosaev replied.
Instead, there is a project to lay 26 kilometers of LRT along the route: Bauyrzhan Momyshuly — Tole Bi — Abilay Khan — Rayymbek. On Rayymbek, they plan to create 17.2 kilometers of LRT, and another 4.6 kilometers on Zheltoksan Street. Moreover, they were ready to commence the first phase of BRT construction on Rayymbek as early as this year — the project included work between Pushkin and Okhrimenko Streets.
“In August of this year, we already had an expert conclusion ready for the first phase. But we held a meeting with experts on urban transport development, and they recommended starting this work from both ends — from Pushkin and 'Altyn Orda.' We expect to complete the expertise for the second phase by December 25. In January, we will announce a competition and hope to start work in March,” the mayor stated.
They also plan to begin BRT construction on Zheltoksan in the spring. In this case, they will narrow the lanes for vehicles to allocate one more for public transport. For it, Dosaev announced a new tariff menu, although he did not specify what this entails.
About "Sayran"
Erbolat Dosaev was also asked about the "Sayran" bus station, which is in quite a poor state. Orda.kz reported on its dire condition back in April of this year.
“The 'Sayran' bus station is my headache,” the mayor admitted.
The station was privatized in the early 2000s, and it was not until the late 2010s that a basic modernization took place. It is significant for Almaty as a transportation hub. According to Dosaev, there was an attempt to resolve the issue with the owner, but it failed:
“Companies emerged that reached agreements with the owners regarding management and new investments. But after that, about six months later, the owners changed their position. Because there are certain relationships between people who see things differently. After that, we waited a long time, and now we are starting negotiations with the owner to possibly return 'Sayran' to municipal ownership,” Dosaev said.
The official owner of "Sayran" is listed as one person — a certain Kulyash Mukuzhanova.
According to the mayor, ideally, they would like the bus station to become part of a unified complex with the embankment of Lake Sayran, the reconstruction of which is currently nearing completion. However, if they manage to return "Sayran" to the city, its reconstruction would not be able to begin until at least 2026.