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Unhappy Passenger slams Kazakhstan's luxury train service
Bakhyt Syzdykova, a renowned public figure, took to Facebook to voice her frustrations with the passenger transport services provided by Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). In a lengthy post, she criticized the national carrier for false advertising and poor service in their "luxury business" class carriage.
She explained that she expected better service given the hefty price of 50,150 tenge for two tickets in the "luxury business" carriage. Her expectation was based on the website's display of a compartment with two places, a toilet, and a "luxury grand" option with a shower for an only slightly higher price.
Upon her arrival at the old Astana station, now called 'Nur-Sultan-1,' she was met with a less-than-impressive experience. The "Talgo" train was narrow, small, uncomfortable, and looked worn out, with stains on the seat upholstery and holes in the same upholstery.
Disappointingly, instead of the luxurious toilet promised on the website, there was only a sink in the compartment. She further noted that the national carrier often misleads passengers with false advertising.
Beyond the shabby train carriage, Bakhyt Syzdykova mentioned issues with internet connectivity, which was supposed to be available on the train, but didn't work. This hindered her ability to work during the journey and connect with her mobile network.
The public figure concluded her post with eloquent photos and videos, receiving support from other users who shared their similar experiences on Kazakh trains.
In recent reports, it appears that KTZ has shifted its focus from Talgo-branded services and transitioned to producing new rolling stock. For instance, Stadler now manufactures new coaches for KTZ at the Tulpar plant in Astana, including sleeping cars and accessibility-focused designs[3]. KTZ recently deployed Talgo passenger trains for cargo transportation[1], which may explain discrepancies if online booking systems still reference older passenger-focused Talgo services.
Earlier, activities of KTZ were criticized in the Senate, with concerns over the external debt of the main operator of the railway industry amounting to 1.9 trillion tenge, while state subsidies over the past 5 years amounted to 171 billion tenge[4]. For precise information on luxury business class conditions, direct consultation with KTZ or recent traveler reports is recommended.
- Bakhyt Syzdykova, a well-known public figure, expressed her dissatisfaction with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy's (KTZ) luxury train service, criticizing false advertising and poor service in the "luxury business" carriage.
- Syzdykova was unhappy with the hefty price of 50,150 tenge for two tickets in the "luxury business" carriage, citing the website's display of a compartment with two places, a toilet, and a "luxury grand" option with a shower for an only slightly higher price.
- Upon boarding the train at the old Astana station, Syzdykova found a narrow, small, and uncomfortable train carriage that looked worn out, with stains on the seat upholstery and holes in the same upholstery.
- Syzdykova was further dismayed to find that instead of the luxurious toilet promised on the website, there was only a sink in the compartment, and the national carrier was accused of often misleading passengers with false advertising.
