The Astana light rail, Central Asia's first fully automated driverless light rail system, marked 100 days of passenger service on Aug 23. Since opening on May 16, the China-Kazakhstan Belt and Road cooperation project has carried more than 7.3 million passengers, becoming a new symbol of practical cooperation between the two countries.

The first phase stretches 22.4 kilometers with 18 stations, connecting key destinations including Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, Nazarbayev University, World Expo Park, and the Presidential Palace. Travel between parts of the city has been significantly shortened, with some journeys taking just 40 minutes.

Behind the system's smooth operation is close cooperation among Kazakhstan's City Transportation Systems, China Railway Asia-Europe Construction Investment Co, and Tianjin Rail Transit Group. Drawing on Tianjin's metro operating experience, Chinese experts worked alongside Kazakh colleagues and trained more than 500 employees, 100 of whom received systematic training in Tianjin.

The line has achieved a 99.81 percent on-time rate and a 99.89 percent schedule fulfillment rate. Beyond efficiency, the team is also striving to create "light rail with a human touch", providing multilingual services and accessibility facilities while assisting passengers in need.

From providing medical aid to helping reunite lost children with their families, these everyday acts of care are helping turn the light rail into a bridge of friendship between China and Kazakhstan.