At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the issue of developing and digitalizing the transport and transit sector was reviewed. Reports were delivered by Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev, Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev, Deputy Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Rostislav Konyashkin, Chairman of the Board of "National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy" JSC Talgat Aldybergenov and Chairman of the Board of "National Company KazAvtoZhol" Darhan Imanashev,
primeminister.kz reports.
According to the Ministry of Transport, 13,000 kilometers of highways have been covered by construction and repair works this year. Road carriers transported 288 million tons of cargo (+1.7%), while passenger traffic reached 1.5 billion people (+12.2%). Automation of transport control and the introduction of electronic accompanying documents are ongoing. In aviation, 139.6 thousand tons of cargo were processed and 13.1 million passengers were transported. Rail freight volumes amounted to 380.3 million tons (+7.9%), with 16.4 million passengers transported.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Head of State has set the objective of turning Kazakhstan into a key transport hub of Eurasia.
The Head of State has set the strategic objective of transforming Kazakhstan into a key transport hub in the Eurasian space. Systemic measures are being implemented to achieve this. The capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has been increased, tariff policies with foreign partners have been synchronized and cargo delivery times have been reduced. Modernization of the road infrastructure continues, with an emphasis on transit and international corridors. Growth in container transportation has been recorded. On the Kazakhstan-China border, the Smart Customs project is being implemented with unmanned transportation and a unified electronic declaration," Olzhas Bektenov noted.
As a result of the measures implemented, transit cargo volumes through Kazakhstan exceeded 29 million tons in the first ten months of the current year.
At the same time, the Prime Minister stressed that amid growing competition for transit flows, it is essential to actively strengthen the potential of the transport and logistics system, particularly through accelerated digitalization of processes along international corridors and border checkpoints.
One of the key directions under the implementation of the President’s Address is the introduction of end-to-end digital solutions, including the Smart Cargo ecosystem for online cargo monitoring and interoperability between government and private platforms. However, some services remain unconnected. The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Transport, together with relevant state bodies, to complete full integration of all services and information systems by 1 April 2026.
To further develop the transport and transit sector, the establishment of aviation hubs was highlighted as a priority identified by the Head of State at a recent meeting. In this regard, the Government is working to expand the geography of flights, attract new international air carriers, and increase passenger and cargo flows through the country’s airports. Modernization of airport infrastructure, renewal of special equipment and digitalization of passenger and airline services are underway. All of this will help transform Kazakhstan’s airports into competitive regional hubs.
Olzhas Bektenov also emphasized the need to develop an information and analytical transport database system. A unified data repository and modules for cargo movement monitoring have already been launched, but the system’s monolithic architecture complicates integration and the introduction of innovations. The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Transport, together with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, to transition to a modular and scalable architecture with open interfaces and to gradually introduce artificial intelligence tools for forecasting and flow management.
The Prime Minister also issued a number of instructions across various areas of the transport and transit sector.
In particular, to ensure the quality of highway infrastructure, digital monitoring of project implementation must be ensured; regional administrations must complete full passportization of local roads by 1 July 2026 and accelerate the installation of automated measurement stations. The newly launched E-zholdar system must become the primary tool for tracking the condition of roads and monitoring project execution.
To accelerate the transition to electronic document circulation in air cargo transportation, the Ministries of Transport, Finance and Agriculture must complete integration with the e-Freight system by 1 March 2026 to automate data exchange on customs, veterinary and phytosanitary documents.
In the railway sector, the Ministry of Transport, together with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and other relevant state bodies, will continue implementing end-to-end digital solutions and will, within one month, develop measures to reduce processing times for cargo at border and hub stations.
In accordance with the instructions of the Head of State, modernization of state border crossing points will be completed in December. Five crossing points will be launched shortly. As a result, all external border checkpoints of the Eurasian Economic Union will meet international standards and ensure faster cargo processing," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Olzhas Bektenov instructed the Ministry of Transport and KazAvtoZhol to accelerate the pace of construction and strictly observe deadlines on the internal network. This issue remains under the personal supervision of the Prime Minister.
Additionally, the ministry and the company, together with regional administrations, must ensure comfortable conditions for citizens and carriers while actively attracting private investment.
Overall coordination and oversight of this work have been assigned to First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar.
