Türkiye targets major high-speed rail expansion

ANKARA

Türkiye plans to increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has said. 

“By 2053, we will connect all corners of our country with high-speed rail lines and be able to travel across Türkiye within 48 hours,” Uraloğlu said.

He noted that $355 billion has been invested in the transportation and infrastructure sector over the past 24 years.

Uraloğlu added that railways have been treated as a state policy, particularly with the initiatives launched in 2002.

According to Uraloğlu, Türkiye’s railway network has expanded from approximately 11,000 kilometers in 2002 to nearly 14,009 kilometers today, including 2,251 kilometers of high-speed rail lines.

He said the government has not only built new railways but also modernized the existing 11,000-kilometer network. 

Uraloğlu also said the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway, currently under construction, will strengthen rail connectivity between Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

He added that a new railway link planned on the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will provide an alternative rail crossing of the Istanbul Strait to Marmaray. He said construction on the project is expected to begin this year following the completion of the tender process.

“We aim to increase our railway network to 17,287 kilometers by 2028 and to 28,590 kilometers by 2053. Construction work is currently continuing on 4,164 kilometers of railway lines,” Uraloğlu said.