Azernews.Az

By News Centre

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said, “The Ankara–Istanbul Super High-Speed Train Line project is also on our agenda. With trains reaching speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, we plan to reduce travel time between Ankara and Istanbul to 80 minutes.”

Minister Uraloğlu joined workers for an iftar dinner at the Delice–Çorum construction site of the Ankara–Kırıkkale (Delice)–Çorum–Samsun High-Speed Train line. The dinner was attended by AK Party Çorum Deputy Yusuf Ahlatçı, Çorum Governor Ali Çalgan, General Director of Highways Ahmet Gülşen, General Director of TCDD Veysi Kurt, AK Party Provincial Chairman Yakup Alar, representatives of civil society organizations, public institutions, and workers.

After the iftar, Uraloğlu addressed the workers, emphasizing that Turkiye has launched a mobilization in railways to turn its geographical position into an economic advantage. He stated: “Under the leadership of our President, we have initiated a new era in railways so that the opportunities provided by our country’s role as a bridge between Asia and Europe can be transformed into economic and commercial benefits. In 2002, our railway length was about 11,000 kilometers; we have added nearly 3,000 kilometers, including 2,251 kilometers of high-speed rail, bringing the total to 13,919 kilometers. Alongside this line, we continue constructing major projects such as Halkalı–Kapıkule, Ankara–Izmir, Bandırma–Bursa–Yenişehir–Osmaneli, Mersin–Adana–Osmaniye–Gaziantep, and Yerköy–Kayseri High-Speed Train Lines. In addition, the Ankara–Istanbul Super High-Speed Train Line project is on our agenda. With trains reaching 350 km/h, we plan to reduce travel time between Ankara and Istanbul to 80 minutes.”

He also mentioned the Northern Ring Railway Project, which will ease Istanbul’s traffic and logistics: “With the Northern Ring Railway Project, we are on the verge of a historic step. This strategic line will start from Gebze, pass through Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport, and continue to Çatalca. At 125 kilometers long, this line will relieve passenger and freight traffic on Marmaray and, for the first time, directly connect Istanbul’s two major airports by rail. For this project, which has attracted great international interest, we have reached preliminary agreements with six prestigious financial institutions, including the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, OPEC International Development Fund, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This agreement will provide $6.75 billion in financing, making it Turkiye’s largest externally financed railway project. The tender announcement was published last week, and we aim to start construction this year. Once completed, the line will have a capacity of 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of freight annually. Without doubt, this line will open a new era in rail transport between Asia and Europe.”

Uraloğlu stressed that new lines, infrastructure development, and modernization efforts continue at full speed to strengthen international railway connections. He said: “We are implementing new lines to support the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway Line, which we opened in 2017. Our 224-kilometer Kars–Iğdır–Aralık–Dilucu Railway project, supporting the Zangezur Corridor, is progressing successfully. We are also continuing international cooperation on the Development Road project, which will carry cargo from China, East Asia, and India to Europe via the FAW Port in the Persian Gulf. With the Development Road Project, which we call the New Silk Road, we will further strengthen Turkiye’s economic and geopolitical status.”

Sharing the latest progress on the Kırıkkale–Çorum–Samsun line, Uraloğlu said: “We are now at the heart of one of Turkiye’s most important railway projects. This line will go down in history as the first high-speed passenger rail project to the north of Turkiye, centered in Ankara. Our Ankara–Konya and Konya–Karaman high-speed lines have long served citizens, and construction continues on the Karaman–Ulukışla and Mersin–Adana–Osmaniye–Gaziantep lines. With your efforts, this line will not only connect Ankara to Samsun and the Black Sea but also strengthen brotherhood, ease longing for home, and raise prosperity in the region. Especially during religious holidays like the upcoming Ramadan Bayram, it will help ease traffic congestion along the Kırıkkale, Delice, and Çorum routes. The new 293-kilometer line from Delice to Çorum, Merzifon, and Samsun is being built with 3,000 personnel and 850 machines working day and night. As of today, physical progress on the Delice–Çorum section has reached about 23 percent. Excavation works have achieved 87 percent completion, with 27.61 million cubic meters excavated. In eight tunnels totaling 9,507 meters, progress is about 19 percent. Construction continues on 13 of 31 bridges, as well as underpasses, overpasses, and culverts.”

He announced that Çorum will be connected to the railway network for the first time: “This line, designed for speeds up to 200 km/h, will provide uninterrupted high-speed rail between Ankara, Kırıkkale, and Çorum, reducing travel time between Çorum and Ankara to 1 hour 20 minutes. We have also included the Çorum–Samsun section in this year’s investment program and plan to hold its construction tender within the year. Once the Çorum–Merzifon–Samsun sections are completed, travel time between Ankara and Samsun will be 2.5 hours, with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of freight. Çorum will be connected to the railway network for the first time, establishing a strong logistics axis between the Black Sea, Central Anatolia, and the Mediterranean basins, boosting regional development and freight transport capacity. Furthermore, this corridor linking Samsun Port with Mersin Port will ease freight traffic over the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits, making Turkiye a global logistics superpower.”