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Turkey to tender rail project under Development Road plan

By Pramod Kumar
Turkey's transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the government is close to securing funding for the railway Turkish Ministry Of Transport
Turkey's transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the government is close to securing funding for the railway

Turkey plans to float a tender for a new rail project that is part of the Development Road Project, a new freight link planned between Asia and Europe, according to a news report.

The tender will be issued in the coming months, Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

Ankara is in talks with the World Bank to fund the 120km rail line, which will run from Gebze to Sabiha Gökçen, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport and Halkalı, he said.

The minister said that Turkey has “nearly secured” financing for the project.

In April 2024, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE signed a preliminary agreement to cooperate on the $17 billion project. The road and rail collaboration aims to tie the Al-Faw Grand Port in Iraq’s oil-rich south to Turkey, thereby shortening travel time between Asia and Europe in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.

Uraloğlu disclosed plans to expand Turkey’s railway network from 13,919km to 17,500km by 2028. The long-term goal is to reach 28,500km.

He said work is ongoing on a “super high-speed train” between Istanbul and Ankara.

The train will travel at 350km per hour, cutting travel time to 80 minutes, the minister said.

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