Construction of a new railway line Darbaza — Maktaaral with a length of 152 km started in Turkestan region. Alikhan Smailov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, gave an official start to the works in the mode of teleconference.

The success of China-Europe rail freight raises the question of its subsidy policy. In 2022, an adjustment seems more likely than an outright end to subsidies.