Does anyone have any more information on the free Visa situation? Will it extend past the end of October?

visa
 

looks like it`s only Kyrgyzstan that is visa free now, i think the trial runs till 2018 but not certain yet. note it is not for all country's so if your from oz best check up

Does this visa free travel apply for all borders, e.g. Irkeshtam?

It is for Kygyzstan, so it should mean at any entry point. By now even the smallest should know this so I see no problems with your specific one

visa
 

Quick note, not all the border crossings are international , some are for locals only

Don't count on Kazakhstan doing the visa-free thing anytime soon. I thought Tajikistan would happen this year, but it didn't.

A free visa for Tajikistan unlikely to ever happen. With a "government" keen to kill it's own population on a whim (as they were in the summer of 2012), they need all the ways they can to control the witnesses to these killings. Hence, if you can refuse a visa, you can stop tourists getting in to see crimes being committed or getting caught in the crossfire.