Turkiye builds Iron Silk Road railway to connect China with Europe

By Azernews

By Suayip Alabay

The first welding ceremony of the Halkali-Kapikule railway, which is part of the Iron Silk Road Project running from Beijing to London, was held, Yeni Shafak reports.

The 553 million euros project will feature high-speed and transit trains, as well as people and freight mobility throughout Europe. With 275 million euros, the project earned the highest fund ever granted from the European Union. Turkiye covered the remaining part of the expenses. The line's construction will employ 2,100 people.

Speaking at the welding ceremony, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu noted that Turkiye sits at the center of 67 nations with a combined economy of $38 trillion and commerce of $7.4 trillion, thanks to its geostrategic location.

“Wherever the world goes, Turkiye's strategic value is increasing. Turkiye is at a crossroads that brings together the world's raw material resources and economic centers. This means that the transit transportation between Asia and Europe is carried out through our country's transportation networks with a sustainable, uninterrupted, and increasing capacity,” the minister stressed.

He underlined that Turkiye is on the way to becoming a global logistics superpower.

“The investments we have made are concrete indications of our approach to the Iron Silk Road as a strategic issue. The Cerkezkoy-Kapikule Railway line is the biggest infrastructure project of the European Union, which is under construction within the scope of financial cooperation between Turkiye and the EU. We are building the entire Halkali-Cerkezkoy section with our national budget. When our project is completed, it will be possible to carry passengers and cargo on a 229-kilometer route between Halkali and Kapikule, with double lines, at a speed of 200 km/h,” Karaismailoglu said.

He went on to say that the railway will receive a significant share of the investment.

“We aimed to increase the investment rate to 60 percent in 2023 and to increase the share of the railway in freight transportation from five percent to 22 percent in 2053. We are working with great devotion 24 hours a day, seven days a week to put a total of 5,147 km of the railway line into the service of our nation,” the official stressed.

Karaismailoglu added that they have reached the final stage in the project that will unite the two international airports in Istanbul.

"Our tender preparations continue for the Gebze-Sabiha Gokcen Airport-Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge-Istanbul Airport- Halkali-Catalca High-Speed ??Train line," the minister said.