President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the current value of Türkiye's transport investments has reached $355 billion, with nearly $80 billion invested in the country's railway sector, highlighting the government's long-term commitment to expanding modern transportation infrastructure.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Çerkezköy-Kapıkule High-Speed Railway Line, Erdoğan said transport investments have been among the most significant drivers of Türkiye's development over the past 24 years.

"Our transport investments are among the areas where we have truly transformed Türkiye over the past 24 years. During our time in office, the current value of these investments has reached $355 billion. Of this amount, approximately $80 billion has been invested in our railways," Erdoğan said.

Strategic railway project linking Türkiye with Europe

Erdoğan described the newly inaugurated 153-kilometre Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section as the longest segment of the 229-kilometre Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Railway Line, calling it one of Türkiye's most strategic transport projects.

Designed for speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, the double-track, electrified and fully signalled railway includes 31 bridges, eight cut-and-cover tunnels with a combined length of 2,520 metres, two viaducts, 114 underpasses and overpasses, and 175 culverts.

Erdoğan said the railway would strengthen Türkiye's logistics infrastructure by connecting Anatolian production centres with European markets.

"The Çerkezköy-Kapıkule High-Speed Railway Line will serve as an artery linking Anatolia's production to European markets and a logistics backbone that will accelerate Türkiye's export goals," he said.

Travel and freight times to be significantly reduced

According to Erdoğan, the project will substantially improve passenger and freight transportation between Türkiye and Europe.

Upon completion of the entire Halkalı-Kapıkule line, passenger travel time between Halkalı and Kapıkule will be reduced from four hours to one hour and 30 minutes, while freight transport time will fall from eight hours and 30 minutes to three hours and 30 minutes. Annual passenger capacity is expected to increase from 600,000 to approximately 3 million, while freight capacity will rise from 1.5 million tonnes to 9.5 million tonnes.

Railway network continues to expand

Erdoğan said Türkiye's total railway network has expanded to 13,919 kilometres.

He noted that the length of electrified railway lines has increased from 2,122 kilometres to 7,274 kilometres, representing a 243 per cent increase, while signalled railway lines have expanded from 2,505 kilometres to 8,419 kilometres, a 236 per cent increase.

The president also highlighted Türkiye's progress in high-speed rail, saying the country has built 2,251 kilometres of high-speed railway lines from scratch.

"Today, 51 per cent of our population has access to high-speed rail services. Once the Çerkezköy-Kapıkule line is fully completed, the total length of our high-speed railway network will reach 2,604 kilometres, while the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail will increase to 14," Erdoğan said.

Long-term railway targets

Erdoğan said construction is continuing on 4,858 kilometres of railway lines across Türkiye.

He added that the government aims to increase the number of provinces connected to the high-speed railway network to 27 by the end of 2028.

Looking further ahead, Erdoğan said Türkiye's 2053 transport vision envisages expanding the country's railway network to 28,590 kilometres, describing rail transport as a cornerstone of the country's long-term economic growth, regional connectivity and international trade strategy.(ILKHA)