Construction should have finished roughly about the same time as the Almaty Metro, which was estimated for 2010.

[3] Project authority Astana LRT LLP signed an agreement with a consortium of China Railway International Group (subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited) and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co for construction of the first phase of the capital’s light rail project on May 7, 2015.

Video renders of the proposed system show the lines built on viaducts running adjacent to roads, with enclosed stations offering heating and ventilation systems to protect passengers from the extreme weather variations in the city.

[7] Since then, the half-built remnants of the project have become a prominent symbol of corruption within the country.

The 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) North-South route would link Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport with Astana Nurly Zhol railway station via the modern "Left Bank" area of the city centre.