Recently, the Türkiye government officially announced its ambitious investment plan for 2026, one of the core contents of which is to invest more than 261.58 billion Türkiye lire in 91 railway projects across the country. The goal of this ambitious investment plan is clear: to accelerate the modernization of domestic railways and consolidate their strategic position as a key transportation hub on the Eurasian continent. All projects are planned to be fully completed before 2032.

Fund allocation and strategic division of labor

In order to ensure the efficient promotion of the plan, the government of Türkiye has carried out a systematic division of labor for the huge amount of funds:

National Railway Corporation TCDD: As the main body of infrastructure construction, it has obtained 111.5 billion lire and is responsible for 54 core projects. This funding will mainly be used for the continuous construction of a series of strategic high-speed railways.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has received 111 billion lire and is responsible for overseeing 22 projects. Its responsibilities cover a wider range, including conducting feasibility studies for new routes in 59 provinces across the country and modernizing key commuting routes in metropolitan areas such as Istanbul.

Passenger and freight operator TCDD Transport: Received 38 billion lire to undertake 15 projects. This funding will be used to purchase a new generation of mainline diesel locomotives and domestically produced AC electric multiple units to update and strengthen their operational fleet.

Key high-speed railway line construction

In this investment, several high-speed railways have been listed as the "national artery" of priority development, which will completely change the domestic and cross-border traffic pattern of Türkiye:

Cherkzkoy Kapikule Line: This line is a key corridor connecting Türkiye and the EU. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international financial institutions have provided financing for the project. After the completion of the project, the passenger and freight capacity of Türkiye and Europe will be greatly improved.

Ankara Izmir Line: Connecting the capital with important ports in the Aegean Sea, with the goal of significantly reducing travel time from the current 14 hours to 3.5 hours. It is a core project to strengthen domestic east-west connections.

The Eastern and Southeastern Corridor includes multiple routes such as Adana Gaziantep, Sivas Erzincan, and Konya Mersin. These projects are aimed at opening up the eastern region of Türkiye, strengthening the connection with the "development road" plan of neighboring Iraq, and building a regional land freight corridor.

Türkiye's large-scale bet on railways is based on multi-level national strategic considerations:

Building a Eurasian logistics hub: Türkiye has a unique geographical location, and its railway network is a key link in the "middle corridor" connecting China, Central Asia and Europe. Türkiye aims to increase the annual freight capacity of this corridor from 750000 tons to an astonishing 20 million tons to attract more international transit trade by upgrading the railway from Divrigi to Kars in the east and connecting with the Georgian border.

Promote green and low-carbon transformation: At present, about 95% of Türkiye's goods rely on road transportation, and the carbon emissions of the transportation sector account for half of the total national emissions. The large-scale construction of electrified railways and the replacement of diesel locomotives with electric locomotives are the core measures to achieve its emission reduction goals. The World Bank has provided $660 million in loan support for this.

Activate domestic economy and regional balance: The massive railway construction plan not only creates a large number of jobs, but also aims to promote population mobility, industrial transfer, and balanced regional economic development by improving transportation conditions in underdeveloped areas in the east.

Türkiye's railway ambitions go far beyond these 91 projects. According to its 2053 Vision Plan, the national goal is to build over 8500 kilometers of railway lines and increase the railway's share in the freight market from around 5% to 21.9%. Keywords: international news and information, railway transportation, construction strategy news

With the extension of these steel arteries, Türkiye is committed to transforming its geographical advantages into practical economic and geopolitical influence, and carves its own traffic mark on the territory of Eurasia.Editor/Cheng Liting