Construction of the Almaty Metro began on 7 September 1988 when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, funds from Moscow dried up and the new Kazakhstani government was unable to continue construction. Efforts to preserve the already-completed work were made, but the high cost led to the accumulation of large debts to construction workers. In 2003, the government of Kazakhstan laid out a new development initiative which included government funds for continued construction on the metro. During the Metro's construction the Almaty tram network was wound down and most its routes closed by 2010.
Construction
By 2005, the construction programme, now under the control of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, received commitments for 72 million tenge for 2006–2008. In 2007, the tunnel between the Almaly and Abai stations was completed on the night of 24/25 May. The tunnel is in length. At the connection point, it is situated at a depth of. The tunnel from Abai towards Baikonur was finished at the end of 2007. Another tunnel on this span was finished in the middle of 2008. The construction cost on the first line is estimated at 101 billion tenge. The first section of the Metro opened 1 December 2011, operating on of route and serving seven stations. When opened it was the second metro system in Central Asia, and the sixteenth metro in the former Soviet Union region. Construction on the expansion to Sairan and Moskva stations started in 2011, and opened for service on 18 April 2015, adding another of route and two stations to the Metro.
Operations
, the Almaty Metro has a route length of and serves nine stations. The Almaty Metro owns seven four-car trainsets made by Hyundai.
Passenger numbers
12.4 million passengers used the metro in 2016, an increase on the 10.6 million who used it in 2015. Daily passenger numbers varied from 17,000 per day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays to up to 45,000 people who used it on working days.
Future plans
The Metro is expanding. Phase 2 of the Metro is the 3.1 km extension to Sary-Arka and Dostyk and is predicted to be completed in 2021. The 5.52 km extension to Kalkaman and Western Bus Station is predicted for completion in 2025. Phase 3 will start after the completion of Phase 2 and will consist of a northern extension of 8.76 km, predicted for completion before 2035.
