Kazakh-Chinese railway to be completed in December 2011

Kazakhstan, Astana, Oct. 31 / Trend , A.Maratov / Connection of the Kazakh and Chinese railway systems is scheduled for December 2011, the Transport and Communications Ministry reported citing Minister Berik Kamaliyev. "The Zhetygen-Korgas railroad that will connect the Kazakh and Chinese railway systems will be completed on Dec.6. The movement on the new railway system will be ensured up to the 20th anniversary of the country's independence," he said. The Zhetygen-Korgas railroad project will reduce the distance from China to the southern regions of Kazakhstan and Central Asia by 500 km through opening a second border crossing with China. Kamaliyev said construction of the "Uzen-state border with Turkmenistan" railway system is underway. The new line will reduce the transportation distance in the direction of north - south by more than 600 km and will provide access to the Persian Gulf. "These projects will increase the transit volume through the country's railway lines by 25 percent or 3.5 million tons by 2015," he said.