Maintenance and renewal of the fleet is a priority of JSC "Astyk Trans"

JSC «Astyk Trans» has fully prepared the fleet of grain carriers for the beginning of the season. All the necessary depot and current repairs of its own fleet done. In addition, scheduled depot repairs of 1305 wagons leased from Kaztemirtrans JSC were performed at the expense of the company. Up to 400 Russian grain wagons are involved to ensure the transportation of Kazakh grain. In addition, JSC «Astyk Trans» implements its own plans for the fleet renewal. The first new wagons this year in the amount of 100 units were accepted in October and provided to customers. These are new large-cube wagons, effective for transportation of both wheat and barley, and for transportation of oil crops.

In the current season of 2021–2022, the fleet of grain carriers in the Kazakh market has developed at the level of previous years. Along with the fact that the fleet belonging to Kazakh owners has significantly increased, the Russian fleet present in Kazakhstan in the summer left for Russia, due to the fact that the rates for providing grain carriers in Russia are 30–50% higher than in Kazakhstan. The fleet of covered wagons involved in grain transportation also decreased.

The harvest of grain andoil crops in Kazakhstan in 2021 was the lowest in the last 10 years, which will accordingly affect the volume of grain exports in the new marketing season and also the volume of grain transportation by rail.

However, despite the maintenance of the fleet in quantity — no less than last years and despite the low harvest this year, such an indicator as the turnover of wagons with a negative trend in recent years, leads to the need to maintain an additional fleet to ensure uninterrupted transportation of Kazakh grain. The terms of turnover of wagons are increasing, the terms of wagon turn-over and return of wagons are increasing, this leads to the fact that less grain can be transferred with the same amount of the fleet. This leads to irrational maintenance of an additional fleet, to a reduction in the profitability of wagon operators, an increase in their maintenance costs, as well as, during active transportation, to a possible shortage of wagons for loading.

It should be noted that JSC «Astyk Trans», according to previously assumed obligations, maintains minimum tariffs for domestic transportation and does not plan to change them by the end of the year. Export tariffs have also developed at the level of previous years, which is lower than the cost of providing grain carriers in Russia and Ukraine. In addition, JSC «Astyk Trans» offers discounts for the organization of route transportation, which reduces the time of cargo delivery and the cost of delivery.

Despite all the difficulties of the new marketing season, the Company hopes for loyalty of its Customers, and encourages traders to carry out transportation in the Kazakh fleet, which will create conditions for preservation and expansion of the Kazakh fleet of grain carriers, thereby maintaining stability in this market and independence from other countries participating in the grain market and the grain transportation market.