photo: job.railways.kz
On April 14, 2026, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) submitted a new application to the Committee for Regulation of Natural Monopolies under the Ministry of National Economy to revise the approved five-year tariffs for main railway network (MRN) services for 2026–2030, with the proposed changes to take effect from June 1, 2026. The revision is justified by an increase in the company’s investment program.
Proposed tariff increases (from June 1, 2026):
Class 1 and 2 cargo:
- Coal — up 2.7x
- Grain — up 2.6x
- Iron ore — up 2.5x
- Chemical fertilizers, chemicals and soda ash — up 2.9x
- Non-ferrous ore — up 3.1x
- Construction materials and timber — up 2.1x
- Cotton fiber — up 2x
- Other cargo and empty wagon runs — up 2.8x
Class 3 cargo:
- Scrap and ferrous metals — up 2x
- Oil and petroleum products — up 1.8x
- Non-ferrous and ferrous metals — up 2.1x
- Alumina — up 2.4x
Class 4 (“socially significant” cargo):
- Essential food products and military transportation — no increase
Key reason for the increase
The sharp rise in tariffs is largely driven by the proposed consolidation of 23 cargo categories into four classes, as предусмотрено в проекте новой методологии тарифообразования.
This approach has been strongly opposed by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, which argues that the reclassification leads to a disproportionate and unjustified increase in transportation costs.
