Trams of Öskemen, Kazakhstan

The Öskemen tram system began operation on November 6, 1959. The first route connected the Öskemen railway station with the Lead and Zinc Combine. Initially, there were ten trams in service. The early fleet consisted of trams from the F (Sormovsky), KTM/KTP-1, and KTM/KTP-2 models. The network expanded over the years, reaching a peak of six routes. However, by the time the system's ownership transitioned through various entities, the infrastructure and rolling stock experienced wear and tear, leading to the gradual reduction of operational routes. By 2018, only four routes were actively running with a fleet of around 50 working tram cars. In the same year, the tramway operations were brought back under the ownership of the city's communal services. As of late 2024 and early 2025, the Öskemen tram system continues to operate. While it was reported that the tram service was temporarily suspended in March 2018, it resumed operations in May 2018. The system currently has four lines operating on a 1524 mm gauge network. There have been mentions of track repair work being carried out. While specific large-scale modernization projects akin to Pavlodar's EBRD-backed efforts aren't prominently highlighted in the recent search results, the fact that the city took back the tram operations into public ownership suggests an intention to maintain and potentially improve this mode of transport. Additionally, the proposed creation of an "Association of Tram Cities" in Kazakhstan, mentioned in late 2023 with Öskemen's participation, indicates a potential for collaborative efforts in optimizing and developing tram systems across the country.