Rail transportation restored in Kazakhstan

Rail traffic in Kazakhstan resumed fully on 7 January following the recent unrest in the country, with oil product shipments going "according to plan", state-owned Kazakh Railways says.

Transportation of oil products and LPG by rail were severely restricted after violent protests broke out on 2 January following a sudden and sharp increase in LPG prices. The rail system in Kazakhstan is the main means of transporting products produced by the country's three largest refineries — the 124,000 b/d Pavlodar, 120,000 b/d Chimkent and 110,000 b/d Atyrau plants.

In some parts of the country, rail traffic was completely blocked, and several key train stations in western Kazakhstan, including Makat and Beineu, were closed. Of 129 freight trains halted earlier, 75 remain temporarily idle, according to Kazakh Railways.

Meanwhile, the firm said it has allowed "a number of strategic enterprises and transport organisations" to defer payment until the full restoration of the internet and banking operations. A state of emergency was declared in Kazakhstan on 5 January until 19 January.