The recent installation of Astana’s light rail transit (LRT) trains has drawn widespread attention both online and in person, as residents of Kazakhstan’s capital city unwittingly echoed a scene from a legendary Soviet-era painting by Kazakh artist Abylkhan Kasteyev (1904-1973).
The long-awaited LRT trains arrived in Astana and were placed on the tracks near Abu Dhabi Plaza on June 12. Both trains are now positioned and awaiting their first technical launch, scheduled for September 2025.
The installation drew a crowd. Passersby stopped to film videos and watch the process with their children. After the successful placement of the trains, some spectators even broke into applause.
This spontaneous display of public enthusiasm reminded some social media users of Kasteyev’s 1969 painting «Turksib.» The artwork, created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, depicts a jubilant crowd welcoming a train’s arrival. Kasteyev painted the scene from personal experience — he had participated in the construction of the Turksib railway in the late 1920s.
The construction of the Turksib (Turkestan-Siberian Railway) marked a key milestone in the Soviet-led transformation of the Kazakh steppe. The first Turksib train, depicted by the artist, became a symbol of the new life and progress brought to Kazakhstan with the rise of Soviet power.
In his vividly painted landscape, Kasteyev places a group of ordinary Kazakhs in festive clothing in the foreground, on foot and horseback, delighted and astonished as they greet the roaring, smoke-belching locomotive. To the left, a caravan trails off into the horizon — a quiet echo of a vanishing past.
Meanwhile, Astana’s newly installed LRT trains have already suffered damage. On June 24, media reports indicated that unknown individuals vandalized cars with graffiti at a station near the airport. Photos of the incident quickly spread on social media. Police have launched an investigation.
«The carriages are covered with a special protective layer that prevents paint from penetrating the main paint surface,» Astana’s transit operator, City Transportation Systems, said in a statement.
Currently, 29 Kazakhstani LRT train operators are in China undergoing the second stage of training. Once they return to Astana, they will complete their final phase — an internship aboard the new trains — before beginning official operations.
