10.01.2026 18:39
The first high-speed train passenger transportation project in northern Turkey is being implemented in Samsun. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated, "With the high-speed train project, the travel time between Ankara and Samsun will be 2.5 hours. It will carry 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of cargo annually, connecting the Black Sea to the world through the Mediterranean."
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the opening ceremony of the Yeşilkent Junction in Samsun. Starting his speech by wishing God's mercy for the deceased father of Samsun Deputy Ersan Aksu and patience for his family, Uraloğlu congratulated Samsun, which will be honored again with the Independence Medal in 2025, where the first step of the National Struggle was taken.
"WE CONTINUE TO WORK DAY AND NIGHT"
Stating that he knows and loves Samsun very well from his time as the Regional Director of Highways in Samsun, Uraloğlu expressed his happiness in making his first provincial visit of 2026 here. Emphasizing that they said "No stopping, we continue on the road" and kept their word, Uraloğlu noted that they are continuing their service storms in Samsun without slowing down.
Pointing out that Samsun's strong economic structure and population density have made it an indispensable transit point for both regional transportation and the east-west, north-south transit corridor, Uraloğlu stated that they continue to work day and night to further strengthen Samsun's potential with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's vision of "roads are civilization."
ANNUAL 2,700 TONS OF CARBON EMISSIONS WILL BE REDUCED THANKS TO THE JUNCTION
Emphasizing that they have invested over 91 billion lira in Samsun's transportation and communication infrastructure in the last 24 years as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Uraloğlu shared the following information: "We increased the length of divided roads from 120 kilometers in 2002 to 321 kilometers. We made our roads safer and more comfortable by increasing the bituminous hot mix asphalt road network from 119 kilometers to 396 kilometers. We ensured the integrity of the Black Sea Coastal Road by connecting it to Sinop and Sarp with divided roads. We established comfortable and safe transportation from Samsun to the entire Central Anatolia Region by connecting it to Amasya, Çorum, and Ankara with divided roads. The works of our 10 road projects, such as the Samsun City Hospital road, Havza-Vezirköprü road, Çarşamba-Salıpazarı connection road, and Ladik-Taşova road, are also ongoing. We are happy to inaugurate the Yeşilkent Junction, one of the most important of these projects, which will strengthen Samsun's transportation infrastructure and ease the city traffic."
"WE WILL PROVIDE A TOTAL SAVINGS OF 645 MILLION LIRA ANNUALLY"
Uraloğlu stated that the Yeşilkent Junction, which is strategically located in the Ankara-Istanbul connection and is an important transit point between the Atakum and İlkadım districts of Samsun, has become one of the points with the highest traffic load, with an average of nearly 50,000 vehicles daily, and said: "To reduce traffic congestion and provide faster, more comfortable, and uninterrupted transportation, we have modernized our Yeşilkent Junction with a total length of 9 kilometers with bituminous hot mix asphalt. Within our project, we constructed 2 underpass bridges with a length of 172 meters, 2 additional bridges with a length of 318 meters, and an overpass bridge with a length of 29 meters. Thus, we ensured uninterrupted, fast, and comfortable traffic flow on this route.
While easing transportation between our Atakum and İlkadım districts, we also raised the standard of transit traffic going to centers like Ankara and Istanbul from the Eastern Black Sea, increased traffic safety, and minimized accidents. Thanks to the Yeşilkent Junction, we will save a total of 645 million lira annually, including 600 million lira from time and 45 million lira from fuel. Additionally, we will contribute to protecting the unique nature of our Samsun by reducing annual carbon emissions by 2,700 tons."
TWO LOGISTICS CENTERS INTEGRATED
Uraloğlu emphasized that they did not limit themselves to road investments and strengthened Samsun's transportation network with railway projects, explaining that they renewed all the infrastructure of the Samsun-Sivas line, which is Turkey's largest railway modernization project, and made it signalized.
Stating that they created an additional capacity of 1.1 million tons for the logistics sector by putting into service the logistics center with an area of 258,000 square meters in Gelemen, Uraloğlu also mentioned that they completed the works of the approximately 7-kilometer connection line between the Gelemen and Tekkeköy logistics villages, thus integrating the two logistics centers.
TRAVEL TIME BETWEEN ANKARA AND SAMSUN WILL BE 2.5 HOURS
Uraloğlu stated that they have also started the construction of a connection line approximately 3 kilometers long that will connect the Havza OSB to the railway network, saying, "When completed, the 293-kilometer Ankara-Kırıkkale-Çorum-Samsun High-Speed Train Line, which will introduce Samsun to high-speed train comfort, will have its first phase, the 120-kilometer Kırıkkale Delice-Çorum section, construction works started last year. This project has also gone down in history as the first high-speed train passenger transportation project to the north of Turkey when considered from the center of Ankara. When our project is completed, the travel time between Ankara and Samsun will be 2.5 hours. 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of cargo will be transported annually, connecting the Black Sea to the world through the Mediterranean," he said.
Uraloğlu pointed out that the railway corridor connecting Samsun and Mersin ports will alleviate the cargo traffic over the Istanbul and Çanakkale straits and will make Turkey a logistics superpower in global trade, adding, "Moreover, the 509-kilometer-long Samsun-Sarp Railway Project, which continues from this line, is also on our agenda. When we realize this project, we will create a high-capacity, fast, and environmentally friendly transportation network between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean through Samsun."
TRAMWAY GOOD NEWS FOR SAMSUNITES
Uraloğlu expressed that he wanted to share another good news, stating: "We will also carry out the construction tender for the Samsun Kılıçdede-City Hospital/Public Campus Rail System Line, which will bring a new breath to the city traffic of Samsun, within this month. Our line, which is 13.3 kilometers long, will consist of 16 stations and will serve the densely populated İlkadım and Canik districts of our city as well as the public campus area. We will also hopefully start the delivery of 10 new tram vehicles coordinated by our ministry for use on the existing Samsun city tram line."