28.01.2026 20:10
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that one of our provinces will have access to high-speed trains. Uraloğlu, who delivered the good news during the opening of the Ortaköy Ring Road in Aksaray, stated that the Aksaray-Ulukışla-Yenice High-Speed Train Line will also be integrated with the ongoing construction of the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Line.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu went to Aksaray for the opening of the Ortaköy Ring Road.
"WE ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO RAISE THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF OUR AKSARAY TO MUCH HIGHER LEVELS" Speaking at the ceremony held in the Ortaköy district, Uraloğlu referred to Aksaray's central location and stated that this situation has made Ortaköy a strategic transit point, saying, "The heavy vehicle traffic on our district has increased, and the need for faster and safer transportation of agricultural and livestock products along with industrial goods has become more pronounced. For this reason, as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, we are working day and night to elevate both the economic, agricultural, and touristic potential of our Aksaray and Ortaköy to much higher levels," he said.
"WE HAVE MOVED TRANSIT TRAFFIC OUT OF THE CITY" Stating that Aksaray, with its central location at the intersection of east-west and north-south axes in the Central Anatolia Region, is a strategic transportation corridor on a regional and national scale, Minister Uraloğlu said, "Thanks to the connections of our Aksaray to important centers such as Ankara, Konya, Nevşehir, Niğde, and Kırşehir, it is an important center in the region's logistics and commercial mobility. Therefore, one of the most important needs of our city, which has a regional and international traffic load, especially with the activation of the Ankara-Niğde Highway, was a high-standard ring road that would remove the Ortaköy center from transit traffic. In this context, we have planned the Aksaray-Ortaköy State Road, which starts from Aksaray, passes east of the Ortaköy district, and connects to Kırşehir, as a divided road standard with a length of 46.3 km and 2 lanes in each direction with bituminous hot mix pavement, which is currently a single road with a surface coating," he stated.
Providing information about the project, Minister Uraloğlu continued his statements as follows: "Now, we are happy to open a total of 18.2 km of road, including the 12 km long Ortaköy Ring Road and 6.2 km at the entrance and exit of the ring road, which is being carried out in this context. By completing this section, we have moved the transit traffic passing through the center of Ortaköy out of the city, significantly reducing the traffic congestion and the stop-and-go of vehicles in the center. We have especially ensured that agricultural products, livestock transportation, and industrial loads move faster, safely, and uninterruptedly. With this 18.2 km section, we have reduced the travel time in this part of the route from 17 minutes to 10 minutes. Thus, we will save a total of 141 million lira annually, including 109 million lira from time and 32 million lira from fuel. We will also make a significant contribution to the preservation of Aksaray's uniquely beautiful nature by reducing carbon emissions by 1,961 tons. Additionally, when we complete all the works on this road, we will also provide a new divided road connection from Aksaray to the Ankara-Niğde Highway. May it be beneficial."
"WE HAVE STRENGTHENED THE POWER OF THE LOGISTICS NETWORK" Stating that transportation investments to meet the increasing urban and intercity transportation needs due to Aksaray's rapidly developing socio-economic structure are of great importance, Minister Uraloğlu said, "In this context, as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, we have made an investment of approximately 46 billion 129 million lira for Aksaray's transportation and communication infrastructure since 2002. We have increased the length of divided roads from 17 kilometers to 325 kilometers. We have made our roads safer and more comfortable by increasing the bituminous hot mix paved road network from 7 kilometers to 462 kilometers. We have connected Aksaray to Nevşehir, Konya, Niğde, and Ankara with divided roads. With the Ankara-Niğde Highway, we have introduced Aksaray to highway comfort and integrated it into the uninterrupted highway connection of 1,230 kilometers from Edirne to Şanlıurfa, thereby strengthening the power of the logistics network. Since its opening, approximately 39 million vehicles have used our Ankara-Niğde Highway," he stated.
GOOD NEWS OF THE HIGH-SPEED TRAIN Expressing that he is aware of Aksaray's railway expectations and longing, Minister Uraloğlu said, "The total length of our Aksaray-Ulukışla-Yenice High-Speed Train Line, for which we are continuing the tender works, is 192 kilometers. Within the scope of the first phase of this line, we had carried out the construction tender for 51 kilometers of the 86-kilometer Ulukışla-Yenice section last year. Now, we have also carried out the construction tenders for the remaining 141 kilometers in two separate sections within the last 2 days. Thus, the strategic position of our Aksaray in the high-speed train network will be further strengthened," he said.
"IT WILL INTEGRATE WITH THE MERSIN-ADANA-OSMANIYE-GAZIANTEP HIGH-SPEED TRAIN LINE" Stating that "this line will integrate with the ongoing Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Line," Uraloğlu used the following expressions: "May it be beneficial and auspicious from now on. Our Ortaköy Ring Road, which we have opened, is not just a transportation project; it also means faster access to the markets for the apple, grape, grain, and livestock products produced in our fertile plains, more comfortable travel for domestic and foreign tourists heading to the Ihlara Valley and Ziga Thermal Springs, and raising the trade and tourism potential of our district to much higher levels. Inshallah, we will complete the remaining sections of the route as soon as possible and turn the Aksaray-Ortaköy-Kırşehir line into a modern, safe, and high-standard divided road from end to end. On this occasion, I would like to thank the personnel of the General Directorate of Highways, the contractor company teams, and everyone who contributed to the project for their dedication at every stage, and I wish them continued success."