 Kazakstan |
 Astana planned light rail Plans, once just pipe dreams, to build a light rail as well as a subway in the country's new capital were established in 1997. The city's trolleybus system was opened in 1983 and so far, public transportation remains poor. In 2009, a preliminary transportation study for an 26 km, 19 station eleveated light rail line was presented by VTG. Thought by some to be just an iron pipe dream, construction on a modified 41.8 km light rail network began in June 2011, with Kazahstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev volunteering as a manual laborer. The t-shaped two line network will connect the airport with the central city. The first 16.4 km line is scheduled to open in 2014. |