Turkey to Launch Super High-Speed Train Linking Ankara and Istanbul in 80 Minutes
Istanbul, March 5 – Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, has announced an ambitious new project: a super high-speed train line connecting Ankara and Istanbul, which is projected to reduce travel time between the two major cities to a mere 80 minutes. The announcement was made during an iftar dinner with workers at the Delice-Çorum construction site of the Ankara-Kırıkkale (Delice)-Çorum-Samsun High-Speed Train line.
Revolutionizing Rail Travel: Speeds of 350 km/h
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the government’s commitment to transforming Turkey’s geographical location into an economic advantage through extensive railway development. “Under the leadership of our President, we have initiated a new era in railways to convert the opportunities provided by our country’s geographical position as a bridge between Asia and Europe into economic and commercial advantages,” Uraloğlu stated. He highlighted that approximately 3,000 kilometers of new railway lines have been added since 2002, including 2,251 kilometers of high-speed lines, bringing the total railway network to 13,919 km.
The Ankara-Istanbul Super High-Speed Train line is designed for trains reaching speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, a significant leap in rail technology for the country. “The Ankara-Istanbul Super High-Speed Train Line project is also on our agenda. We plan to reduce the travel time between Ankara and Istanbul to 80 minutes with our trains reaching speeds of 350 kilometers per hour,” the Minister confirmed.
Connecting Istanbul’s Airports with a New Railway Line
Uraloğlu also detailed the Northern Marmara Railway Project, a strategic initiative aimed at alleviating Istanbul’s traffic and logistics burden. This new line, passing over the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, will connect Gebze, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the bridge, Istanbul Airport, and Çatalca. The 125-kilometer line will ease traffic on the Marmaray line and, for the first time, directly link Istanbul’s two major airports by rail.
This project has attracted significant international interest, with preliminary agreements reached with six prestigious financial institutions, including the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This collaboration will provide 6.75 billion dollars in financing, making it Turkey’s largest foreign-financed railway project. The tender announcement was published last week in the Official Gazette, with construction expected to commence this year. Upon completion, the line is projected to transport 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of cargo annually, opening a new chapter in railway transportation between Asia and Europe.
Strengthening International Rail Connections and Economic Status
The Minister reiterated that the construction of new lines, infrastructure development, and modernization efforts continue at full speed to strengthen international railway connections. He mentioned the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway project, a 224-kilometer line supporting the Zengezur Corridor, which will serve as a second gateway to Turkey via the Middle Corridor, complementing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line opened in 2017.
Furthermore, Turkey is actively involved in the “Development Road” project, which aims to transport cargo from China, East Asia, and India to Europe via the FAW Port in the Persian Gulf. “With the Development Road Project, which we refer to as the New Silk Road, we will further strengthen our country’s economic and geopolitical status,” Uraloğlu stated.
Çorum to Get its First Railway Connection
Regarding the Kırıkkale-Çorum-Samsun line, Minister Uraloğlu provided an update on the ongoing work. “We are currently at the heart of one of Turkey’s most important railway projects. As you know, our Kırıkkale-Çorum-Samsun line is making history as the first high-speed train project for passenger transportation to the north of Turkey, considering Ankara as the center,” he said. He noted that the Ankara-Konya and Konya-Karaman high-speed lines have been serving citizens for years, with construction continuing on the Karaman-Ulukışla and Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep high-speed lines.
The 120-kilometer Delice-Çorum section of the 293-kilometer new high-speed line, which will pass through Çorum and Merzifon to reach Samsun, is being constructed with the efforts of 3,000 personnel and 850 machines working day and night. As of today, the overall physical progress on this stage has reached approximately 23 percent. Excavation works have achieved 87 percent completion with 27.61 million cubic meters of excavation. Approximately 19 percent progress has been made in 8 tunnels totaling 9,507 meters, and construction continues on 13 of the 31 bridges, along with cut-and-cover structures, underpasses, and culverts.
Ankara-Samsun Travel Time to Be 2.5 Hours
Minister Uraloğlu announced that upon completion of the line, designed for speeds of 200 kilometers per hour, Çorum will be connected to the railway network for the first time. The uninterrupted high-speed train connection between Ankara-Kırıkkale-Çorum will reduce travel time between Çorum and Ankara to 1 hour and 20 minutes. The Çorum-Merzifon-Samsun sections have also been included in this year’s investment program, with the construction tender planned to be held within the year. Once these sections are completed, the Ankara-Samsun travel time will be reduced to 2.5 hours, carrying 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of cargo annually.
This development will establish a strong logistics axis between the Black Sea, Central Anatolia, and Mediterranean basins, significantly increasing regional development and freight transportation capacity. Furthermore, this railway corridor, connecting the Samsun and Mersin ports, will alleviate cargo traffic on the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits, transforming Turkey into a global logistics superpower.
