Kazakh President inaugurates first stage of Almaty subway

ALMATY. December 1. KAZINFORM /Berik Bekmurzayev/ As part of his working trip to Almaty Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in the commissioning of the first stage of Almaty subway on Thursday.

"Today is a really exciting, a historic day for our country, when the first Kazakhstan's metro has been put into operation. And it will be recorded in the annals of our country. Even in times of crisis I did not stop the funding of the facility," the Kazakh leader said.

"This is an environmentally friendly type of transport. It will meet all safety requirements, including those against earthquakes. 300 bus routes will be eliminated - emissions will be lower and the air will become cleaner. And the main thing is that this a new modern culture of transport," Nazarbayev emphasized.

Almaty metro is a unique facility, which has been put into operation for the first time in Kazakhstan and is among the most complex engineering projects.