Kazakhstan Reclaims Key Railway Line in Aqtau from Private Ownership
In Aqtau, the main railway line connecting Mangyshlaq station to the seaport has been returned to state ownership after being taken from Kaskor-Transservice JSC, Orda.kz reports.
The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that it had pushed for the railway tracks to be reclaimed from the private company.
By the decision of the specialized inter-district economic court of the Mangystau region on March 14, the claims were satisfied in full. This is an important step in ensuring the sustainable development of Kazakhstan's transport infrastructure, which guarantees state control over key objects of the railway network, the Prosecutor General's Office stated.
Connections to Old Elites
Investigations revealed that Kaskor-Transservice JSC has ties to influential figures from the Nazarbayev era. One of its shareholders is 68-year-old Zhaksybek Kulekeyev, who previously served as Minister of Economy, Minister of Education and Science, a top manager at KazMunayGas, and the President of Kazakhstan Temir Joly.
Other shareholders of Kaskor-Transservice JSC include:
- Turarbekov Mereke Amanzholovich
- Dzhumabaeva Aizhan Beketovna
- Shagirov Kanat Beketovich
- Sakhimov Ali Utepovich
- Kudabayev Kanat Nukebaevich
Additionally, 56-year-old Marat Abykayev, the son of Nurtay Abykayev (former head of the National Security Committee and a close associate of ex-President Nursultan Nazarbayev), appears in the list of affiliated individuals connected to the company.
The state has been trying to regain control of these railway tracks for years, with efforts intensifying after the January 2022 events. That year, the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition conducted an inspection of QKaskor-Transservice.
The agency found that the company owned 15 kilometers of access track and independently set tariffs, creating market imbalances. In response, the company threatened a workers’ strike, warning that 600 railway employees in Aqtau could lose their jobs.
Final Ruling
The Ministry of Transport rejected the company’s arguments, stating that the railway had been privatized earlier but must now return to state ownership. Transport Minister Marat Karabayev emphasized that, under the law, the main railway network must remain state-owned.
Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva
Latest news
- North Kazakhstan to Use 45 Billion Tenge from Returned Assets for Water Projects
- Officer’s Death at Jarkent Garrison: Prosecutors Demand Prison Sentences
- Daulet Bekmanov Heads NIT Following Reported Data Leak
- Grave of Noble Nomadic Warrior Unearthed in Turkistan Region
- Kazakhstan Suspends Karachaganak Gas Plant Project With Foreign Partners
- Toqayev Opens CICA Headquarters, Highlights Importance of Diplomacy Amid Global Tensions
- Chinese Company Sinopec Launches 4.7 Billion Tenge Oil Drilling Project in Mangystau
- Ukraine's MoD Claims No Official Notice Received from U.S. on Munitions Suspension
- Azerbaijani Ministry of Science and Education Urges Caution Over Claims of Ending Russian-Language Education
- Alexander Lukashenko Pardons 16 People, Including Those Convicted of “Extremism”
- U.S. Reportedly Floated Corridor Deal via Armenia — Carnegie Report
- Orda.kz talks with Expert on Recent Escalations between Moscow and Baku
- Court Reviews Corruption Case Involving Samruq-Qazyna Subsidiary in Atyrau
- Claims Surface that Azerbaijan Plans to Close Russian-Language Schools
- Publishing House with Bomb Shelter Privatized in Almaty Returned to State Ownership
- 5,000 Dombra Players Set National Record in Taldykorgan
- A Piece of the Shoreline Pie: How Sarsenov Lost His Aqtau Land and Kulibayev’s Role
- Armenian Parliament Makes Initial Moves to Nationalize Electric Networks of Armenia
- Toqayev Orders Tighter Migration Control, Calls for Unified Digital Systems
- Kazakhstan: Forecasters Warn of Heavy Rains in the North, Scorching Heat in the South
