China, Kazakhstan agree on light railway project

BEIJING, May 16 -- China Railway Group Limited (CRG) has signed a framework agreement with an LRT company in Kazakhstan's capital to help build a new light railway transportation system.

The new deal will see 22.4 kilometers of rail built in Astana, with 18 stations and one depot. The designated speed for trains running on the light rail will be 80 kilometers per hour, the Chinese company said late Friday.

China Railway International Group, a CRG subsidiary, and the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co. will form a Chinese consortium for the project.

China will also provide 19 trains for the project, CRG said, without disclosing details of the project's total value.

Under the framework agreement, the project is expected to be finished by 2017 when Astana hosts Expo 2017.