Kazakhstan: Temirtau is anticipating a trial run of a single-car tram in early October. The move is part of the restoration of the city’s tram service, which includes the purchase of eight trams.
The project is being implemented through the efforts of Qarmet, which owns the local Karaganda Metallurgical Plant (formerly belonged to ArcelorMittal). The city has already received one tram, but it is not known when the rest will arrive or what model they will be.
The new tram in Temirtau. Source: KTK
No information is available regarding the origin of the trams. Despite KTK TV’s report that the trams were purchased in China, their livery bears the logo of the QazTehna factory in Saran, a town in the same region of Kazakhstan. This is a joint venture established in 2021 with the Chinese company Yutong to assemble buses and construction machinery. This makes the tram launched in Temirtau the first in the Eurasian Economic Union built with the Chinese participation.
The tram service in Temirtau was available for passengers from 1959 to 2023. The fleet of 30 vehicles consists of the 71-605s from UKCP, Russia, and the KT4DMs from Tatra, Czechia.