Almaty Subway: The Most Underrated in the World?

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Alma-Ata Metro is a system of urban off-street electric high-speed rail transportation in Alma-Ata. The first and the only one in Kazakhstan, the second in Central Asia (after Tashkent), the sixteenth and the last in the former USSR. It was opened on December 1, 2011. Specially designed for it trains of South Korean production “Hyundai Rotem” are used in the amount of 4 cars per train with the estimated service life of 30 years.
Fares are paid using disposable smart tokens. The cost of one trip is 120 tenge, from summer 2024 for children from 7-15 years old the cost is 60 tenge upon presentation of a birth certificate. The cost of a smart card without balance is 100 tenge. The balance of smart cards can be replenished through cash desks and automated terminals at stations. The validity period of the card is 3 years. Token validity period - until the end of the current day. Wednesday is declared “token day”. On this day passengers can bring their expired tokens and use them. In addition to the above-mentioned type of payment, since 2016 payment in the subway is also made by ONAY card system and contactless payment cards VISA/MasterCard, for the use of which separate turnstiles are installed.
Passenger flow
On the first day, December 1, 2011, during 6 hours (from 18:00 to 0:00 (UTC+5)) 11 thousand passengers used the metro services. During the first 3.5 days about 130 thousand passengers were transported.
During the first year of operation, the metro transported 6 million passengers. On July 9, 2013 (1 year and 8 months after the opening) Almaty Metro welcomed its 10 millionth passenger.
On December 18, 2014, the 20-millionth passenger was welcomed and awarded in the subway.
In 2016, 12.4 million people used the services of the subway.
In 2017, Metro transported 14 million passengers.
Subway opening hours are daily, from 6:20 to 00:00.
The first stage of the first line has an operational length of 13.4 km and consists of 11 stations (6 of which are deep and the remaining five are shallow). It runs from Raiymbek Avenue in the south direction under Nazarbayev Avenue (former Furmanov Street) to Abay Avenue and further along it in the west direction to Momyshuly Street. There are 15 four-car trains running on the line. Interval of movement is 12 minutes on weekends, 10 minutes on weekdays during off-peak time, during rush hours it is reduced to 8 minutes. The maximum speed of movement is 60 kilometers per hour. Travel time along the first phase of the first line is approximately 16 minutes. The rolling stock is modern trains made in South Korea Hyundai Rotem with through passage, air conditioning in the saloons, good noise insulation, full auto-driving mode and other features.
The extension of the first line in the western direction (to Barlyk market) through Shugyla microdistrict along Alatau Avenue is currently underway. After completion of construction in the western direction it is planned to start extension of the line in the northern direction to the station Almaty 1. In the future it is planned to build a second line with interchange hubs at Zhibek Zholy and Sairan stations, leading southwest to Orbit 1-4 neighborhoods and northeast to Duman mkr).
Some prospective schemes of the Almaty Metro also show a third line running through the city from south to north.