Currently, Turkey is developing a 231-kilometer railway line. The Hakkali-Kapikule project is to connect Turkey's railway network with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) through Bulgaria.

The trans-European transportation network is a planned network of roads, railways, inland rivers, shipping routes, ports, railway terminals and airports, enabling the smooth flow of European people and goods. The project was developed by the Turkish State Railway Administration. This will be a major railway route connecting the metropolitan area of Istanbul with the Turkish-Bulgarian border. It will serve 10 million people and support the transportation of 3.6 million tons of cargo.

The railway will build a high-speed train track with dual lines to enable passenger and freight trains to run at a speed of 200 km/h. This groundbreaking event was held in September 2019 and the project is expected to be completed in 2022.

Hakkali-Kapikule project details

The Hakkali-Kapikule railway line will become part of the Eastern/Eastern Mediterranean Corridor, which provides connections to the Baltic, Black Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean ports. It will consist of three parts, Çerkezköy-Kapikule, Halkali-Ispartakule and Ispartakule-Çerkezköy.

The entire railway line will have six stations, two viaducts, sixteen railway bridges and ten open-air tunnels. It will also include 59 overpasses, 59 overpasses and 193 vents, as well as 4 overpasses and 6 overpasses to facilitate animal crossing.

The Cerkezkoy-Kapikule line will consist of a 142.5 km long double track and 10.36 km long three track section. It will start in Çerkezköy and end in Kapicule, which borders Bulgaria. The Ispartakule-Çerkezkoy section is 68 kilometers long and will have 9 bridges, 2 viaducts and 2 tunnels.

The 76-kilometer Halkali-Ispartakule section will end before Cerkezkoy station, and the existing infrastructure will also be renovated, including stations and connections to existing railway lines. It is estimated that the Halkali-Kapikule railway project will bring economic benefits worth 1.6 billion euros to consumers and producers. It will create an economic and reliable transportation service to support international import and export activities.

This route will provide a safer mode of transportation for commuters in downtown Istanbul and reduce carbon emissions. The project will strengthen the railway connections between Turkey and the European Union and between the European Union and Central Asia. The Halkali-Ispartakule railway line and other planned projects will provide missing railway connections, while also supporting the development of larger trade corridors between the EU and Turkey and from Turkey to the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

This line will also become an important part of the Iron Silk Road from London to Beijing.

Financing of the Hakkali-Kapikule Railway Project

The project will receive a grant of 275 million euros (301.8 million US dollars) from the European Union, making it the largest single EU investment project implemented in Turkey. The project will also receive national funds that match the EU's donations. The second phase of the project is estimated to cost 663.5 million euros (746.8 million US dollars).

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided sovereign loans of up to 100 million euros (112.5 million US dollars) for this stage. The second phase will be jointly funded by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Editor/Huang Lijun