On October 28, 2026, Kazakh President Tokayev stated in his annual State of the Union address that Kazakhstan must accelerate the modernization of its railway, highway, and aviation infrastructure, fully leverage its transit transportation advantages, and become an important transportation and logistics hub on the Eurasian continent. The global logistics system is undergoing significant transformation, and the risks faced by maritime transportation routes further highlight the strategic value of land transportation corridors. Kazakhstan must seize this historic opportunity.

Bucket Railway will be put into operation in 2027

Tokayev introduced that the Bakt Ayaguz railway is planned to be put into operation in 2027, and after completion, it will increase the cargo transportation capacity between Kazakhstan and China by 20 million tons. The construction of the main road from the Aral Sea to the Caspian Sea, which will start in August 2026, is expected to shorten the transportation distance of the trans Caspian Sea transport corridor by about 1000 kilometers and reduce the transportation time of goods by up to 3 days. At present, the goods transported within Kazakhstan account for about 85% of the related freight volume from China to the European continent, but it cannot meet the existing advantages.

Comprehensive upgrade of highway ports

In terms of highway construction, Tokayev requested to initiate the widening project of the Kokshetau to Petropavlo highway and complete the modernization of all highway border ports by 2027. The President emphasized that the quality of national highway construction must be comprehensively improved, and both national and local highways must meet high-quality construction standards. In the future, the construction and quality management of national highways should be coordinated by the government through the Ministry of Transport. Tokayev pointed out that currently more than half of Kazakhstan's road transit transportation business is undertaken by foreign enterprises, and the government should take measures to support domestic freight enterprises. Keywords: Central Asian news and information, logistics, infrastructure, railway

Dual acceleration of digitalization in aviation

When it comes to aviation infrastructure, the President stated that the repair project for Alkarek Airport has been completed, and airports such as Zaisan, Cartoon Karagai, and Kendall will also be put into operation in the near future. He also announced that in 2027, a large enterprise in the global aviation industry will be introduced to launch the construction of Astana's new airport. The President also pointed out that the important international aviation corridor connecting Europe and Asia passes through Kazakhstan's airspace, but the country has not fully utilized this advantage and must improve ground aviation service infrastructure. In addition, Tokayev called for the comprehensive promotion of digitalization in the transportation industry, including international transportation routes, emphasizing that it is absurd to still rely on paper waybills to manage global transit cargo flows in the era of artificial intelligence. Only by synchronously improving the quality of transportation infrastructure, transportation service capabilities, and digitalization level can Kazakhstan truly consolidate its position as a transportation and logistics hub in Eurasia.Editor/Gao Xue