Problems of cargo handling at the border with China persist

Problems with the queue of wagons due to infrastructure restrictions and the tightening of anchor measures on the Kazakh-Chinese border remain. Despite the increase in the capacity of up to 14 trains per day, about 9,000 Kazakh wagons are idle on the way to the border of the PRC.
This situation has had a negative impact on all market participants. For exporters of Kazakh grain, logistics failures led to a failure to meet delivery deadlines, failure to fulfill contractual obligations to partners, the risk of penalties, a revision of the export strategy and the search for new markets. Logistics companies have increased the turnover period of wagons, there is a shortage of wagons for transportation in other directions, and lost profits that could be invested in the renewal and repair of the wagon fleet. The losses are borne by everyone — the railway, the operators, the owners of the wagons, the shippers and the consignees.
The problem is systemic in nature and requires a comprehensive solution by all participants in the cargo transportation process. For its part, JSC «Astyk-Trans» (hereinafter referred to as the Company) fulfills its contractual obligations to customers — providing wagons for loading in the specified direction in a timely manner and taking into account force majeure circumstances, does not apply penalties for excess idle time of wagons. According to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «About Railway Transport», claims regarding the terms of delivery of cargo to the destination are made exclusively by the shipper or the consignee. Accordingly, the Company, as a freight forwarder, does not have the right to accept / make claims against the railway.
For the official recognition of the failure of delivery terms due to force majeure, it is possible to apply to the Foreign Trade Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The list of documents and the procedure are described on the agency’s website.