Facilities and Equipment at Dostyk Terminal

Cross-border goods traffic Kazakhstan – China and in particular in the Dostyk – Alashankou region

Railway station Dostyk (international border crossing Dostyk - Alashankou) on the Kazakh-Chinese border is of particular importance in ensuring the international transport of Trans-Asian Railway.
Moreover, considering the progressive development of trade and economic relations between Russia and China, it is offered to use the routes on which goods will be transported through the border crossing Dostyk –Alashankou. So, in order to attract the Russian freight flows to pass through the station Dostyk, the freighters are given the specific freight discounts to transport goods, such as fertilizers and steel products.

Source: Agency of statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, https://stat.kz

Table Transit volume through the Dostyk-Alashankou border-crossing point by the delivery and destination countries, 2011.

Facilities and Equipment at Dostyk Terminal

Figure 1. The map of the border crossing Dostyk – Alashankou

Main operations performed at Dostyk Station include breaking–up and making-up of trains, loading and unloading of freight from narrow gauge (1435 mm) to broad gauge wagons (1520 mm). The trains are handled and new trains are made up in accordance with a settled plan. During these operations, customs clearance also is given. For dealing with these operations, Dostyk Station has 6 types of yards and 8 types of transshipment points. Figure 2 shows the layout of facilities at Dostyk Terminal.

Figure 2. The layout of facilities at Dostyk Terminal

Yards.The functions of each yard are described as follows.

1) ''A'' yard

''A'' yard is designed for receiving and dispatching the organized freight trains to the northern Kazak city of Aktogay and to China as well. ''A'' yard consists of:

· one main track, ten receiving – departure tracks, and one weight path track and one exhaust path track of 1520 mm gauge;

· one reloading track, one passing track and one draw-out track of 1435 mm gauge.

2) ''B'' yard

''B'' yard is designed for receiving and dispatching the passenger trains. It has:

· one receiving-departure track, and the other two tracks are the crossover and running tracks of 1520 mm gauge;

· one receiving-departure track of 1435 mm gauge;

· one receiving-departure track of 1520 mm and 1435 mm dual gauge.

3) ''D'' yard

''D'' yard is designed for receiving and dispatching freight trains between the stations Dostyk and Alashankou. ''D'' yard consists of eight receiving-departure tracks, one accumulating, two running tracks, one joint track, one overtaking track of 1435 mm gauge.

4) ''T'' yard

''T'' yard is designed for immigration and customs check all passenger and freight trains stop on the tracks at Alashankou station. ''T'' yard has:

· two receiving-departure tracks of 1520 mm gauge;

· v-two receiving-departure tracks of 1435 mm gauge.

There is a facility for the making-up immigration and customs check at ''T'' yard.

5) ''G'' yard

''G'' yard is a sorting yard, it is designed for the making-up of the accumulating tracks, which are sent to Aktogay and to Alashankou as well. ''G'' yard consists of:

· a low-capacity hump;

· 12 sorting tracks.

6) ''E'' yard

''E'' yard increases the throughput capacity of the station Dostyk on the narrow track of 1435 mm gauge.