New milestone in cooperation: DB Engineering & Consulting, part of the DB E.C.O. Group, is to help modernize passenger services and expand rail freight traffic in Kazakhstan.
Zhanibek Taizhanov, General Director of KTZ Passenger Transportation, Nurlan Sauranbayev, Chairman of the Management Board of KTZ, and Niko Warbanoff, Chairman of the Managing Board of the DB E.C.O. Group (left to right)
DB Engineering & Consulting (DB E&C) and the Kazakh rail company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ ) today signed a framework agreement on further cooperation during a visit to Germany by Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. DB E&C will provide consulting services for the passenger transport and rail freight businesses over the next three years.
Successful cooperation to continue
KTZ has already relied on DB E&C’s expertise in the past to modernize its passenger transport division. This work focused on transforming the company through the provision of management staff and active change management. That success has now prompted a continuation of the partnership.
Niko Warbanoff, Chairman of the Managing Board of the DB E.C.O. Group: “We are delighted with the new contract and the confidence that KTZ has placed in us. Together, we will develop Kazakhstan Railways into a modern competitive company – from corporate governance through to the services offered to customers.”
Handshake between Nurlan Sauranbayev, Chairman of the Management Board of KTZ, and Niko Warbanoff, CEO of DB E.C.O. Group
Focus on rail freight and international connections
The consulting services for rail freight are aimed partly at expanding transport links between Kazakhstan and Central Europe along the Eurasian corridor and integrating them into the European transport system. This project is in line with efforts to strengthen trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union.
Kazakhstan, the largest of the Central Asian republics, is an important economic partner for Germany. Relations between the two countries and the EU are characterized by numerous agreements on deepening trade cooperation and promoting and protecting investment.
Optimizing the logistics sector in Kazakhstan
In the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI), Kazakhstan ranks 79th on average in 2023. Although this is a relatively high ranking compared with other Central Asian countries, there is still significant potential for improvement in terms of the availability and quality of logistics services in an international context.
The development of the transport and logistics sector in Kazakhstan is expected to become an important driver for the country’s economic development. Among other things, this requires the transformation of KTZ into a fully-fledged transport and logistics company. DB E&C will work closely with KTZ to prepare this transformation process, with DB E&C experts contributing their experience and expertise in the areas of infrastructure and passenger transport.