Turkey to Expand Railway Network by 50%: 38 New Projects Ready

Targeting 50 Percent Growth in Railway Network Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced new investment plans to develop Turkey’s railway infrastructure.
Survey and project work for 38 new lines, totaling 7,084 kilometers, have been completed and are now ready for the construction phase.
With the implementation of these projects, Turkey aims to increase its current railway network, which exceeds 14,000 kilometers, by 50 percent.
Minister Uraloğlu provided technical details regarding the institutional distribution of the projects: 30 new lines totaling 5,402 kilometers were designed by the Republic of Turkey State Railways (TCDD), while 8 lines under the General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM) reached a length of 1,682 kilometers.
Strategic Routes and Regional Connections Among the priority projects planned for the new period, the Eskişehir-Afyonkarahisar-Antalya High-Speed Train Line stands out.
Additionally, the Siirt-Kurtalan and Samsun-Çorum lines aim to strengthen north-south railway corridors connecting Central Anatolia, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea regions.
These lines will increase transit transport capacity as well as regional transportation.
Economic Integration and Environmental Vision Touching upon the economic impacts of the projects, Uraloğlu emphasized that the railway network will become fully compatible with international transport corridors.
Thanks to the new lines, production centers, organized industrial zones, and ports will be directly integrated into the railway network.
This step is expected to allow export cargo to be transported faster, more economically, and in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Minister Uraloğlu also stated that the railway will be the most important carrier of environmentally friendly transport policies in line with Turkey's net-zero carbon targets.
With the completion of the investments, the goal is to reduce the load on highways and lower logistics costs.