Children’s Railway, Karaganda

One of the most fascinating attractions in Karaganda is the children’s railway located within Central Park, which has recently reopened after a lengthy hiatus. This charming railway has been whimsically adorned to resemble the Hogwarts Express from the beloved Harry Potter series. The Karaganda Children’s Railway is one of the few remaining children’s railways in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, many cities across the former USSR have seen their children’s railways dismantled and destroyed, losing their narrow-gauge trains altogether.

The Karaganda Children’s Railway was established in 1956, with operations commencing on May 1, 1957. For a detailed history of this enchanting railway, you can visit dzd-ussr.ru. The train features a TU2-111 diesel locomotive and three passenger cars of the PV051 type, forming a genuine narrow-gauge railway experience. Everything has been carefully styled to evoke the magical world of Harry Potter, and it has quickly become a beloved attraction, with all three train cars consistently filled with eager passengers.

The railway winds gently through a grove in the park, meandering into a residential area before leading to an unexpected open space. Here, the train leisurely makes a loop before returning. This empty area offers scenes of serene wilderness, resembling a swampy narrow-gauge line rather than a children’s railway in the heart of a bustling city.

Special mention must be made of the dedicated staff who operate the children’s railway. The train driver is a retired engineer from the main railway, and his passion for this project is evident in the way he and his colleagues care for the railway. Such devotion can only come from those who truly value their work.

The children’s railway was constructed in the summer of 1956 and was trialed on Miners’ Day, with its official opening taking place on May 1, 1957. Initially, the railway spanned 1,800 meters and featured two stations: Komsomolskaya (now Arman), which housed the railway’s administration, and Pionerskaya. In the 1980s, a new loop section was added south of the Pionerskaya station, along with a new station near the zoo.

The children’s railway operated as an educational institution until the end of the 2001 season. In the autumn of that year, it was removed from the balance sheet of the national railway company “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” and was subsequently put into preservation. In 2004, in honor of the centenary of Kazakhstan’s railways, the children’s railway resumed operations as an attraction. However, operations were halted again in 2006. In 2007, renovations were undertaken to revive the service, and on May 1, 2008, the children’s railway officially reopened.

The rolling stock has changed multiple times over the years. Initially, a steam locomotive was the sole train. In the early 1960s, it was replaced by the TU2-115 diesel locomotive. In the early 1970s, the fleet was augmented with the TU2-037. By the late 1980s, the railway acquired the TU2-111, previously belonging to the Kostanay Children’s Railway, which continues to operate today. The railway’s gauge is 750 mm, with a total length of 5.1 km.