Communications - Scientific letters of the University of Zilina X:X | DOI: 10.26552/com.C.2026.053

The Esg-Oriented Approaches to Developing a Sustainable Rail Freight Market: Methodology and Effectiveness Assessment

Bibizhan Aimagambetova ORCID...1, Olga Kisselyova ORCID...1, *, Roza Mussaliyeva ORCID...2, Yerzhan Karsybayev ORCID...2, Marzhan Chazhabayeva ORCID...3
1 Satbayev University, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
2 Mukhametzhan Tynyshpayev ALT University, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
3 Yessenov University, Aktau, Republic of Kazakhstan

In this paper, the sustainability of Kazakhstan's rail freight market was analyzed in the context of the influence of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) variables. The data used (secondary data 2018-2024) and the expert surveys (regression, SEM (Structural Equation Modelling), DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis)) revealed that ESG factors have a significant impact on performance (R² = 0.85), competitiveness (R² = 0.82), and stability (R² = 0.84). The most powerful factors were corridor efficiency (β = 0.421) and service quality (β = 0.370) with negative effects being energy consumption (β = -0.312) and emissions (β = -0.275). The SEM path coefficients ranged 0.597-0.652; DEA scores ranged 0.87-0.94.

Keywords: data envelopment analysis, ESG (environmental, social and governance), structural equation modelling (SEM), rail freight, sustainability, Kazakhstan
Grants and funding:

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Received: May 17, 2026; Accepted: August 21, 2026; Prepublished online: September 24, 2026 

Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. RAHMAN, S. M. Human resource management in the transport sector: a systematic literature review of strategic approaches and sectoral impacts. American Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies [online]. 2025, 6(1), p. 1-39. ISSN 3067-5146. Available from: https://doi.org/10.63125/c625ef08 Go to original source...
    2. WANG, J., ZHANG, Y., YANG, X., FANG, R., ZHANG, J., BOBYLEV, N., LI, J., LI, S. Impact of environmental and operational stress on defect formation in China's high-speed rail subgrades. Communications Earth and Environment [online]. 2025, 6(1), 310. eISSN 2662-4435. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02287-0 Go to original source...
    3. CHOUDHARY, S., SINGH, D., KUMAR, M. Assessment of infrastructure and service supply on sustainable urban transport systems in Delhi-NCR: implications of last-mile connectivity for government policies. Future Transportation [online]. 2025, 5(4), 134. eISSN 2673-7590. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp5040134 Go to original source...
    4. CLEMENTS, R., SEARLE, G., ALIZADEH, T. Epistemic silences in settler-colonial infrastructure governance literature. Geographical Research [online]. 2025, 63(2), p. 221-235. ISSN 1745-5863, eISSN 1745-5871. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12601 Go to original source...
    5. DA FONSECA-SOARES, D., ELIZIARIO, S. A., GALVINCIO, J. D., RAMOS-RIDAO, A. F. Greenhouse gas emissions in railways: systematic review of research progress. Buildings [online]. 2024, 14(2), 539. eISSN 2075-5309. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020539 Go to original source...
    6. HANDOYO, S., ANAS, S. The effect of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) on firm performance: the moderating role of country regulatory quality and government effectiveness in ASEAN. Cogent Business and Management [online]. 2024, 11(1), 2371071. eISSN 2331-1975. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2371071 Go to original source...
    7. KUANALIYEV, A. AI regulation for sustainable business: legal challenges in Eastern and Central Asian emerging economies. Law, Business and Sustainability Herald [online]. 2025, 5(1), p. 4-24. ISSN 2787-9356. Available from: https://www.lbsherald.org/index.php/journal/article/download/73/66
    8. CHEN, S., CHI, X., ZHANG, Q., TANG, Y., LIU, Z., TAN, W. Cascading reliability assessment of international railway freight network based on coupled map lattices: a case study of China railway express. Journal of Advanced Transportation [online]. 2024, 2024(1), 1436605. eISSN 2042-3195. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/1436605 Go to original source...
    9. IZTELEUOVA, M., ARIMBEKOVA, P., MURZABEKOVA, K., ALIK, A. Features of development and efficiency of transport logistics infrastructure. Acta Commercii [online]. 2024, 24(1), p. 1-11. ISSN 2413-1903, eISSN 1684-1999. Available from: https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v24i1.1235 Go to original source...
    10. HUSSAIN, O. A., MOEHLER, R. C., WALSH, S. D., AHIAGA-DAGBUI, D. D. Minimizing cost overrun in rail projects through 5D-BIM: a conceptual governance framework. Buildings [online]. 2024, 14(2), 478. eISSN 2075-5309. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020478 Go to original source...
    11. ROSSI, C., BYRNE, J. G., CHRISTIAEN, C. Breaking the ESG rating divergence: an open geospatial framework for environmental scores. Journal of Environmental Management [online]. 2024, 349, 119477. eISSN 1095-8630. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119477 Go to original source...
    12. ZHU, R., TAN, K., XIN, X. Speed up for sustainable development: high-speed rail and corporate ESG performance. Energy Economics [online]. 2024, 138, 107821. ISSN 0140-9883, eISSN 1873-6181. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2024.107821 Go to original source...
    13. TRUANT, E., BORLATTO, E., CROCCO, E., SAHORE, N. Environmental, social and governance issues in supply chains: a systematic review for strategic performance. Journal of Cleaner Production [online]. 2024, 434, 140024. ISSN 0959-6526, eISSN 1879-1786. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140024 Go to original source...
    14. MOHSENI, S., VAN HASSEL, E., VANELSLANDER, T. Assessing the impact on mode competitiveness of improvements of the Trans-Eurasian railway network. Journal of Shipping and Trade [online]. 2025, 10(1), 3. eISSN 2364-4575. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-025-00193-4 Go to original source...
    15. GANDHI, N., KANT, R., THAKKAR, J. J., SHANKAR, R. Prioritizing solutions to mitigate the risks due to adoption of intermodal railroad freight transportation for achieving sustainable development goals. Journal of Cleaner Production [online]. 2024, 435, 140535. ISSN 0959-6526, eISSN 1879-1786. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140535 Go to original source...
    16. DJORDJEVIC, B., STAHLBERG, A., KRMAC, E., MANE, A. S., KORDNEJAD, B. Efficient use of European rail freight corridors: current status and potential enablers. Transportation Planning and Technology [online]. 2024, 47(1), p. 62-88. ISSN 0308-1060, eISSN 1029-0354. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2023.2294344 Go to original source...
    17. YU, L., XU, J., YUAN, X. Sustainable digital shifts in Chinese transport and logistics: exploring green innovations and their ESG implications. Sustainability [online]. 2024, 16(5), 1877. eISSN 2071-1050. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051877 Go to original source...
    18. HO, A., GIANNOPOULOS, D., PILORGE, H., PSARRAS, P. Opportunities for rail in the transport of carbon dioxide in the United States. Frontiers in Energy Research [online]. 2024, 11, 1343085. eISSN 2296-598X. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1343085 Go to original source...
    19. AROSO, A., BUGARIN, M. R. Energy efficiency improvement on railway lines: an overview. Energy Science and Engineering [online]. 2024, 12(12), p. 5753-5764. ISSN 2050-0505, eISSN 2050-0505. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.1971 Go to original source...
    20. GENIN, A. L., TAN, J., SONG, J. State governance and technological innovation in emerging economies: state-owned enterprise restructuration and institutional logic dissonance in China's high-speed train sector. Journal of International Business Studies [online]. 2021, 52(4), p. 621-645. ISSN 0047-2506, eISSN 1478-6990. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00342-w Go to original source...
    21. KUMAR, A., R, A. An MCDM framework for assessment of social sustainability indicators of the freight transport industry under uncertainty: a multi-company perspective. Journal of Enterprise Information Management [online]. 2020, 33(5), p. 1023-1058. ISSN 1741-0398, eISSN 1758-7409. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-09-2019-0272 Go to original source...
    22. PAN, J. Y. Understanding high-speed rail users in the US - environmental and sustainability perspectives. Travel Behaviour and Society [online]. 2024, 34, 100670. ISSN 2214-367X, eISSN 2214-3688. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tbs.2023.100670 Go to original source...
    23. SULTANBEK, M., ADILOVA, N., SLADKOWSKI, A., KARIBAYEV, A. Forecasting the demand for railway freight transportation in Kazakhstan: a case study. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives [online]. 2024, 23, 101028. eISSN 2590-1982. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101028 Go to original source...
    24. KNOX, C., ORAZGALIYEV, S. Public administration country study: Kazakhstan - post-Soviet legacy, modernisation, and hybridity. Public Administration Review [online]. 2025, 85(6), p. 1888-1900. ISSN 0033-3352, eISSN 1540-6210. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.70030 Go to original source...
    25. ZENG, J., GUO, S., ZENG, J., JIN, K. Deep learning based method for early warning of price risk in railroad bulk freight transport with consideration of time series of comprehensive impact index. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board [online]. 2024, 2678(7), p. 434-449. ISSN 0361-1981, eISSN 2169-4052. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231207842 Go to original source...
    26. KALEM, A., TADIC, S., KRSTIC, M., CABRIC, N., BRANKOVIC, N. Performance evaluation of railway infrastructure managers: a novel hybrid fuzzy MCDM model. Mathematics [online]. 2024, 12(10), 1590. eISSN 2227-7390. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/math12101590 Go to original source...
    27. SAKR, A. M., ELMASRY, H., BIRHANE, F., EL-BASYOUNY, K. Assessing the built environment of light rail transit stations to encourage active transportation: a multi-criteria GIS-based analysis. Transactions in GIS [online]. 2025, 29(4), e70082. ISSN 1361-1682, eISSN 1467-9671. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.70082 Go to original source...
    28. RAKHYMZHAN, G., DABYLTAYEVA, N. E., SAKHANOVA, G., RUZIYEVA, E. A., BEKMUKHAMETOVA, A. B. Navigating Kazakhstan's sustainable economic future: a study of tech innovation, infrastructure, and resource management. Economies [online]. 2024, 12(5), 104. eISSN 2227-7099. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies12050104 Go to original source...
    29. CORAZZA, M. V. A comprehensive research agenda for integrating ecological principles into the transportation sector. Sustainability [online]. 2024, 16(16), 7081. eISSN 2071-1050. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167081 Go to original source...
    30. HAN, F., LIU, Z., WANG, C., WEI, H., WANG, B. Research on optimization method of railway construction scheme based on multidimensional combination weighting and improved grey theory. Scientific Reports [online]. 2024, 14(1), 3023. eISSN 2045-2322. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50098-0 Go to original source...
    31. HE, Y., LIU, X., SUN, E., WU, D. Balancing economic growth and environmental conservation through the optimization of rail transit routes for sustainable development. Scientific Reports [online]. 2024, 14(1), 31926. eISSN 2045-2322. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83462-9 Go to original source...
    32. NURGALIYEVA, K. Evaluating the impact of ESG on regional development in Kazakhstan: empirical analysis. Eurasian Journal of Economic and Business Studies [online]. 2025, 69(1), p. 5-17. ISSN 2789-8253, eISSN 2789-8261. Available from: https://doi.org/10.47703/ejebs.v69i1.459 Go to original source...
    33. FIELD, A. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. 6. ed. London: SAGE Publications, 2024. ISBN 9781529668704.
    34. MONTGOMERY, D. C., PECK, E. A., VINING, G. G. Introduction to linear regression analysis. 4. ed. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2021. ISBN 978-0470125069.
    35. HAIR, J. F., RINGLE, C. M., SARSTEDT, M. PLS-SEM: indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice [online]. 2011, 19(2), p. 139-152. ISSN 1069-6679, eISSN 1944-7175. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202 Go to original source...
    36. WOLF, E. J., HARRINGTON, K. M., CLARK, S. L., MILLER, M. W. Sample size requirements for structural equation models: an evaluation of power, bias, and solution propriety. Educational and Psychological Measurement [online]. 2013, 73(6), p. 913-934. ISSN 0013-1644, eISSN 1552-3888. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164413495237 Go to original source...
    37. COOPER, W. W., SEIFORD, L. M., TONE, K. Data envelopment analysis: a comprehensive text with models, applications, references and DEA-solver software [online]. 2. ed. New York: Springer, 2007. eISBN 978-0-306-47541-2. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/b109347 Go to original source...
    38. SALTELI, A., RATTO, M., ANDRES, T., CAMPOLONGO, F., CARIBONI, J., GATELLI, D., SAISANA, M., TARANTOLA, S. Global sensitivity analysis: the primer [online]. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 2008. ISBN 9780470059975, eISBN 9780470725184. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470725184 Go to original source...
    39. REIS, B. L., PUGLIERI, F. N., PIEKARSKI, C. M. A roadmap approach to enhancing ESG and operational performance in road freight logistics. Logistics [online]. 2026, 10(4), 71. eISSN 2305-6290. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/logistics10040071 Go to original source...
    40. BALDI, F., LAMBERTIDES, N. Exploring the role of ESG for the performance and risks of infrastructure investing: evidence from the international funds' market. Managerial Finance [online]. 2024, 50(1), p. 92-117. ISSN 0307-4358, eISSN 1758-7743. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-01-2023-0024 Go to original source...
    41. CHEN, Y., KISSELYOVA, O., ABZHAPBAROVA, A., ALIAKBARKYZY, D., KARSYBAYEV, Y. Comparing intermodal and synchromodal transport systems to enhance efficiency and sustainability at the Port of Aktau, Kazakhstan. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration [online]. 2025, 9(2). ISSN 2058-8305, eISSN 2058-8313. Available from: https://doi.org/10.18280/ijtdi.090201 Go to original source...
    42. MEESIT, R. Factors affecting the future utilisation of high-speed train services in Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives [online]. 2024, 26, 101162. eISSN 2590-1982. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101162 Go to original source...
    43. MOHAMMAD AL EBBINI, M., FARHAN ALSHIRAH, A., HANNA ZAWAI DEH, F., SALEH ENAIZAN BATAYNEH, M., ALQUDAH, H. Modelling the impact of ESG orientation on business continuity through IS audit effectiveness: evidence from financial institutions using SPSS-PLS. EDPACS [online]. 2025, latest articles. ISSN 0736-6981, eISSN 1936-1009. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/07366981.2025.2576312 Go to original source...
    44. KISSELYOVA, O., IZBAIROVA, A., ALTAYEVA, Z., KULMAGAMBETOVA, Z. Ensuring secure transport infrastructure in supply chains. E3S Web of Conferences [online]. 2025, 640, 02002. eISSN 2267-1242. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564002002 Go to original source...
    45. ORALBEKOVA, Z., TYULEPBERDINOVA, G., GAZIZ, G., ADAMOVA, A., SHOLPANBAEV, B. Results of experimental georadar surveys of railway sections. International Journal of GEOMATE [online]. 2023, 25(109), p. 189-196. ISSN 2186-2982, eISSN 2186-2990. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21660/2023.109.m2320 Go to original source...
    46. BOGDANOVICH, S., KISELEVA, O., KOSENKO, S., KABANOV, A. A systematic approach to ensuring traffic safety of railway transport. In: International Scientific Siberian Transport Forum: proceedings [online]. Springer. 2022. ISBN 978-3-030-96382-8, eISBN 978-3-030-96383-5, p. 170-179. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96383-5_19 Go to original source...
    47. MUSAYEV, J., ZHAUYT, A., ISMAGULOVA, S., YUSSUPOVA, S. Theory and practice of determining the dynamic performance of traction rolling stock. Applied Sciences [online]. 2023, 13(22), 12455. eISSN 2076-3417. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212455 Go to original source...
    48. YANG, Y., ORR, J., SPADEA, S. Shear behavior of variable-depth concrete beams with wound fiber-reinforced polymer shear reinforcement. Journal of Composites for Construction [online]. 2018, 22(6), 04018058. ISSN 1090-0268, eISSN 1943-5614. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)cc.1943-5614.0000899 Go to original source...
    49. MULIAREVYCH, O. The serverless computing for acceptance and shipping warehouse zones optimization. CEUR Workshop Proceedings [online]. 2023, 3384, p. 87-97. ISSN 1613-0073. Available from: https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3384/Paper_8.pdf
    50. NAMOZOV, J., ARABOV, N., ADURAMANOV, X., NASIMOV, D., MAKHMUDOVA, M., IBRAGIMOV, L. Dynamics of transformation and economic resilience in agricultural lands: An anthropogenic perspective. E3S Web of Conferences [online]. 2024, 541, 03003. eISSN 2267-1242. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202454103003 Go to original source...
    51. ARABOV, N., NASIMOV, D., ABDURAMANOV, X., UTEMURATOVA, G., LUTFULLO, I. Addressing the economic impacts of climate change in Uzbekistan: challenges and strategies. E3S Web of Conferences [online]. 2024, 542, 04006. eISSN 2267-1242. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202454204006 Go to original source...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return