28.03.2025 13:52
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, announced that the travel time between Ankara and Istanbul will be reduced to 80 minutes with the "super high-speed train" project. Minister Uraloğlu stated, "We will be able to travel in 80 minutes at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour."
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, met with members of the press at an iftar program in Ankara. In his speech, Minister Uraloğlu explained Turkey's transportation vision, steps towards digitalization, and railway targets.
IT WILL TAKE 80 MINUTES BETWEEN ANKARA AND ISTANBUL
Uraloğlu stated that with the current high-speed trains, travel time between Ankara and Istanbul is 4 hours and 20 minutes, and this duration will decrease to 3.5 hours when the tunnels in Bilecik are completed. Uraloğlu said, "This will not be enough. We have also started project work for a direct super high-speed train. We will be able to travel in 80 minutes at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour."
CONTACT WITH SYRIA IN 5 SECTORS
Uraloğlu indicated that Turkey is in contact with Syria in the fields of road, rail, air, maritime, and communication, stating, "When we look at the highways, there is a functioning system, although it is not at the desired standards." He emphasized that improving the existing highways is a necessity, adding that these activities will be carried out within an action plan; however, he also noted that improving the highways is not the top priority.
Regarding the railway, Uraloğlu mentioned that approximately 50 kilometers of the line on the Syrian side has been completely destroyed, saying, "We are trying to program the reconstruction. If we can, we will connect the railway to Damascus. This is on our agenda."
"WE CONNECTED SYRIA TO THE WORLD WITH DAMASCUS-ISTANBUL FLIGHTS"
Uraloğlu emphasized that Damascus Airport has been revitalized with Turkey's technical support, stating, "We have established some systems. Some radars also need to be procured and installed. We want them to be domestic and national. ASELSAN is carrying out the production. Our colleagues are on the field."
He also mentioned that Turkish Airlines has connected Syria to the whole world with the Damascus-Istanbul flights, which initially started at 3 times a week and now increased to 5, and noted that other airlines have also requested flights from Sabiha Gökçen and Esenboğa to Damascus, saying, "Pegasus has flight requests from Sabiha Gökçen, and Ajet has requests from Esenboğa to Damascus. We find it appropriate and are in discussions with the other side. Last week, the Civil Aviation Authority was in Turkey. It will probably start as well."
"OUR RAILWAY NETWORK WILL REACH 28,500 KILOMETERS"
Uraloğlu announced that Turkey's current railway network of 13,919 kilometers will be increased to 17,500 kilometers by 2028, stating that this target includes lines such as Ankara-Izmir, Mersin-Adana-Gaziantep, Yerköy-Kayseri, Halkalı-Kapıkule, and Bilecik-Bursa-Osmaneli, Karaman-Ulukışla. Uraloğlu said, "Of course, our goal is 28,500 kilometers. We continue our work towards that."
"WE CAN SAY WE HAVE SECURED THE LOAN FOR THE LINE PASSING THROUGH YAVUZ SULTAN SELIM BRIDGE"
Uraloğlu noted that discussions with the World Bank regarding the railway line passing through the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge are progressing positively, stating, "We can say that we have secured the loan for the approximately 120-kilometer line that will extend from Gebze, Sabiha Gökçen, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport, down to Halkalı. We will hold the tender in the coming months."
"WE PRODUCE EVERYTHING FROM LOCOMOTIVES TO WAGONS OURSELVES"
Minister Uraloğlu stated that producing railway vehicles is as valuable as constructing the railway itself, saying, "I can say that we are in a much better position regarding freight vehicles. We produce everything from our locomotives to our wagons ourselves."
Recalling that they put the national electric train set, which travels at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, into service in previous months, Uraloğlu said, "Our train, which will travel at a speed of 225 kilometers per hour, will be able to travel on all our high-speed railway lines. We aim to complete the first production of the prototype next year and start trials. Our target for mass production is 2027. We have made a claim, and we are following that claim."
"ISTANBUL NEEDS A 1,004 KILOMETER METRO LINE"
Uraloğlu emphasized that there is no chance of solving Istanbul's traffic from the surface, stating that the solution lies in rail system lines. Uraloğlu said, "Istanbul needs a 1,004-kilometer metro line."
He pointed out that the construction of metro lines, apart from those providing national and international connections within the city, belongs to the relevant municipalities, stating, "If the municipality wants to have this done through the Ministry, and if the Ministry takes it upon itself with the approval of our President, it can be done. For example, during the pandemic, the metro line for Çam-Sakura Hospital... The municipality said it would not build the metro, and that request was conveyed to us with the coordination of the Governorship. We took it and built it."
REVISION ON THE ESENBOĞA AIRPORT METRO LINE
Uraloğlu also made a statement regarding the Ankara Esenboğa Airport Metro Line. He noted that they have initiated a revision in the project, considering the construction in the Etlik City Hospital and the Pursaklar and Çubuk regions.
NEW HIGHWAY BETWEEN ANKARA AND ISTANBUL
Uraloğlu explained that between Ankara and Istanbul, especially when coming from Istanbul, it feels almost like entering city traffic after exiting the Northern Marmara Highway, stating, "Currently, traffic on Bolu Mountain has approached 50,000. The service level has significantly dropped at 80,000, and the hourly flow rate has fallen below 80 kilometers. We estimate that we will need a new highway here in 10 years."
Uraloğlu also mentioned that they have started project work, stating, "The most suitable route here, the route that the geography allows, is the line that goes directly from Sincan, Nallıhan, and Beypazarı to Akyazı."
```html
He said.
THE CURRENT VALUE OF BUILD-OPERATE-TRANSFER PROJECTS IS 83 BILLION DOLLARS
Responding to criticisms regarding projects implemented with the Build-Operate-Transfer model, Uraloğlu pointed out that while realizing projects with this model, they were able to allocate public resources to bridge, tunnel, and road projects in other regions. Stating that the ministry has implemented around 70 projects with this model, Uraloğlu said, "We made an investment of 51 billion dollars. At what prices? The exchange rates in the year it was built were approximately 51 billion dollars. If we were to do it today, it would be 83 billion dollars."
3-4 COUNTRIES INTERESTED IN THE SUPER HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
Uraloğlu also noted that they will continue to implement projects with the Build-Operate-Transfer model, stating that 3-4 countries and companies worldwide are interested in the Super High-Speed Train between Ankara and Istanbul. Giving an example about guarantee payments, Uraloğlu mentioned the Osmangazi Bridge, saying, "We have exceeded one and a half times the amount we guaranteed. It bypasses a 98-kilometer line. Think about the time and fuel we save for people there."
NEARING COMPLETION OF THE NEW RUNWAY AT ESENBOĞA
Uraloğlu stated that they are nearing the completion of the third runway and tower construction at Ankara Esenboğa Airport, and also mentioned that the works at Antalya Airport are about to be completed.
SPECIAL FIRE RUNWAY FOR ANTALYA
Uraloğlu also stated that they are working on an air campus that will only be used in emergencies, in coordination with the General Directorate of Forestry, to prevent the traffic of fire-fighting aircraft from affecting other operations in Antalya.
CLOSE MONITORING OF GOOGLE'S ALGORITHM CHANGE
Minister Uraloğlu also made a statement regarding Google's algorithm change. He pointed out that Google occasionally makes changes to its algorithms based on its own criteria, saying, "They stated that these changes do not target anyone and do not provide advantages to anyone, but these statements were not sufficiently satisfying for us."
"WE WILL HAVE SOME LEGAL REGULATIONS"
Uraloğlu noted that although the ministry does not have direct authority over the process related to Google, they are closely monitoring it, and continued: "We met with press members in digital media again over the weekend. We gathered their thoughts, and now I can say that we will have a study on making some legal regulations after discussing it with our Minister of Culture and Tourism."
"NO PERMISSION FOR UNDER 13 ON SOCIAL MEDIA"
Stating that they evaluated the age limit on social media primarily with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, and generally with the Ministries of Interior and Justice, Minister Uraloğlu included the following statements in his remarks: "Our teams from the Ministry of Family and Social Services came together. We have roughly identified a roadmap. We have completed all our preparations to put it into writing. The point we have reached is this: There should be parental permission for those aged 13 to 16 on social media, and no permission should be granted for those under 13. We can say that we have reached a general consensus on this. We will present this to our Parliament's discretion through our AK Party group. We hope to implement such a regulation within this year."
5G TARGET IS 2026
Uraloğlu stated that 5G is currently being tested in 34 production centers, covering the major stadiums and certain points of the Parliament, including Istanbul Airport. "Our goal is to hold the tender for this in the first half of this year. We want to transition to 5G in 2026. We have repeatedly discussed with the operators what their expectations are and what our expectations are, and we have initiated the process," he said.
```