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Tariffs for toll roads in Kazakhstan will increase by 20%
The cost of travel on the highways will increase from October 3. Transport Minister Marat Karabaev explained at a briefing why tariffs on toll roads are being increased in Kazakhstan, Kazpravda.kz correspondent reports .
According to him, 2,300 km of roads in the country are toll roads.
"What changes in tariffs for them? 2300 km of roads - this is from Khorgos to Almaty and further to Kyzylorda, this is a section of the Western Europe - Western China road, the Astana - Shchuchinsk, Astana - Pavlodar and Astana - Karaganda highways “These four-lane sections have always had tolls,” the minister said.
He also said that he would change the structure of toll roads.
“First, we are increasing the cost by 20%. Second, we will tie the tariff to the MCI, so it will increase. Third, we are working on introducing tolls on new two-lane sections, but only for trucks, not for cars,” Karabaev continued.
Regarding the question of the reason for the increase in the tariff on toll roads, he explained that for 10 years this tariff has not changed, while noting that in Kazakhstan, road fees are significantly lower than in other countries.
“If we compare our tariff with other countries, our tariff is significantly lower. But this is not the basis for its increase. The main thing is that Kazakhstan is becoming a kind of transit hub, in terms of the use of our roads. The volume of traffic from Uzbekistan and China is moving towards Russia and other countries are increasing, and this entails additional load on the roads,” the minister explained.
He voiced the ministry's goal - to ensure maximum quality of roads through toll payments, that is, their maintenance by allocating appropriate funds.
“We will try to significantly reduce the burden on the budget and ensure the quality of roads by paying for them. For domestic carriers, we provide the possibility of a subscription fee, that is, payment once a month. This will be an order of magnitude cheaper than a one-time payment,” the speaker said.
Marat Karabaev also shared plans to introduce tolls on some sections of roads.
“We envisage making toll roads from the Russian border to Pavlodar, from Pavlodar to Ust-Kamenogorsk and Kalbatau, at the discussion stage the sections Kyzylorda - Aralsk, Aktau - Beineu and Aktobe - Uralsk,” the minister concluded.
The tariff will be increased from October 3, he added.
Photo: Kazpravda.kz