Federal Railways of Kazakhstan (KTZ) and Stadler sign a large contract for sleeper and couchette coaches

These contracts follow an agreement for a strategic partnership, signed at the end of 2021, presided over by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the then President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin. The total contract covers the manufacturing and service of the sleeper and couchette coaches, totalling EUR 2.3 billion. The contract also includes the transfer of technology from Switzerland to Kazakhstan and the acquisition of a local production facility in Astana.

Today, KTZ and Stadler announced the next step in their partnership, signing three contracts for the supply of sleeper and couchette coaches, full-service maintenance and the acquisition of a local production facility in Astana with around 100 employees.

The gradual transfer of technology, the training of local personnel at other Stadler plants, as well as the cooperation with local suppliers and technical universities provide the foundation of this international collaboration. The delivery of all sleeping and couchette coaches will take place by 2030 and there is an option of additional orders to continue the modernisation of the KTZ fleet.

“We are looking forward to this long-term cooperation with KTZ and delivering our state-of-the-art technologies and competences to the Kazakhstan railway. This project will see Stadler enter a new market and expand our geographical presence in the CIS states. Thanks to our innovative products and expertise, we believe that we can help take public transport in Kazakhstan to the next level”, commented Peter Spuhler, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Stadler.

High levels of passenger comfort

The delivery contract includes modern sleeping and couchette coaches of four different types: 234 sleeper passenger carriages with 40 seats each; 233 couchette sleeper passenger carriages with 58 seats each; 35 passenger carriages, each with 18 seats, for staff and for people with limited mobility; and 35 generator passenger carriages. The new rolling stock is designed to operate day and night on electrified and non-electrified parts of domestic and international passenger lines in the Republic of Kazakhstan and CIS states.
The gauge is 1,520 mm and trains can reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h.

The standard composition consists of at least fifteen carriages. Trains can operate in the temperature range of -50 to 45°C. The train itself, as well as the maintenance schedule, have been designed to keep environmental impact to a minimum throughout the lifespan of the fleet.