15.11.2026 01:21
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that with the completion of the ongoing Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project, the 6.5-hour journey between Mersin and Gaziantep will decrease to 2 hours 15 minutes. Stating that the Mersin-Adana section of the line is planned to open in 2027, Uraloğlu said the high-speed train will be extended from Gaziantep to Nizip and Şanlıurfa.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who came to Gaziantep to attend a series of programs and an opening ceremony, inaugurated the completed Nizip-Karkamış Road and Nizip Courthouse Junction in the Nizip district.
“WE WORK DAY AND NIGHT” Speaking at the ceremony here, Minister Uraloğlu said, “I am very pleased to be together with you on the occasion of the collective opening ceremony of the Nizip Courthouse Junction and the Nizip-Karkamış Road in Nizip, the heart of tourism with the mosaics of Zeugma, of agriculture with green gold Antep pistachios and olives, and of industry and trade, a district that has cradled many civilizations with its thousands of years of ancient history. I greet you with my most sincere feelings and affection. Gaziantep is one of the locomotive cities of the Turkish economy, located on Anatolia’s ancient trade routes, with a rich production range extending from agriculture to industry, from food to textiles, and from machinery to plastics. Nizip is one of the important stops of this abundance and dynamism. As the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, we work day and night to further strengthen Gaziantep’s strategic position and to ensure that our farmers, industrialists, tradespeople, and all our fellow citizens travel more safely, comfortably, and economically,” he said.
“WE HAVE MADE 177 BILLION 141 MILLION LIRA OF INVESTMENT IN GAZİANTEP’S TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE LAST 24 YEARS” Minister Uraloğlu continued his words as follows: “We increased the divided road length from 116 kilometers to approximately 476 kilometers. We raised the length of hot-mix asphalt-paved roads from 179 kilometers to 462 kilometers. We connected Gaziantep to Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, and Hatay with divided roads. We have put into service important highway projects such as the Nurdağı - İslahiye Road, Sakçagözü Passage, Gaziantep - Yavuzeli - Araban Road, Yeşil Vadi and Beykent Interchanges, Dutlu Interchange, Gaziantep - Kilis Road, Gaziantep - Şanlıurfa Motorway (Gaziantep Ring Road Section), Başpınar and Şehir Gösteren Interchanges, Başpınar Organized Industrial Zone Interchange, Gaziantep - Kilis State Road University Interchange, and Gaziantep City Hospital Junction. Last year, in cooperation with Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the Gaziantep Organized Industrial Zone Presidency, and our General Directorate of Highways, we started construction work on the Dülük-OIZ Tunnel and our connecting road.
“WE WILL MAKE ACCESS TO THE EAST OF INDUSTRY EASIER” Today, within the scope of our program, we will carry out an on-site inspection at the Dülük Tunnel construction site and see the latest situation in the field firsthand. The construction of the junctions and the road sections outside the tunnel is being carried out by our General Directorate of Highways. We designed our project starting from the Dülük Junction and connecting it to the main arteries of the Gaziantep Organized Industrial Zone and the TAG Motorway. In this way, we will reduce traffic density between the D-400 Highway and the O-54 Ring Road and make access to the east of industry easier. We continue our work rapidly. In addition, work continues on 12 highway projects by our Ministry, such as the Osmaniye - Nurdağı Road, TAG Motorway Superstructure Repair, Gaziantep - Nurdağı State Road, and Kahramanmaraş - Narlı - Gaziantep Road.
“THIS JUNCTION AND ROAD ARE NOT JUST TRANSPORT INVESTMENTS.” With the two important works we are opening here today, we continue to add strength to Gaziantep and the power of Nizip’s transport network. Our first work is the Nizip Courthouse Junction, which brings us together. We built this bridge junction, with a total length of 4.2 kilometers including connecting roads, to the standard of a divided road with hot-mix asphalt pavement. We regulated access to the Nizip Courthouse and the surrounding public service areas. By improving the junction geometry and traffic order, we increased vehicle passage, visibility, and maneuver opportunities. The congestion and waiting that occurred during peak hours have been replaced by safe, smooth, and comfortable transportation. We also regulated pedestrian movements and increased the safety of road users. By reducing carbon emissions by 664 tons per year, we will both protect the environment and contribute to our climate-friendly transport goals. May it be auspicious. We upgraded this route, which starts at the Karkamış junction of the Nizip D-400 State Road and extends to the Karkamış-Cerablus Border Gate on the Turkey-Syria border, to the standard of a divided road with hot-mix asphalt pavement. We provided our Karkamış district with an uninterrupted and high-standard connection to Nizip, Gaziantep, and the centers in the region. By strengthening the security and transport infrastructure in the border region, we contribute to the normalization of life in areas across the border where security has been re-established. By reducing carbon emissions by 2,312 tons per year, we are protecting the nature of Nizip and Gaziantep. Once again, may it be auspicious. This junction and road are not just transport investments; they are a concrete development move that transforms Gaziantep’s production power, Nizip’s agricultural abundance, and the potential of border trade into Turkey’s development.”
MERSIN-GAZIANTEP WILL DROP TO 2 HOURS 15 MINUTES Minister Uraloğlu also provided information about the 312.5-kilometer Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project under construction, using the following statements: Our work in Gaziantep is not limited to highways. We renewed and modernized Gaziantep’s entire railway infrastructure. As you know, we opened GAZİRAY in 2022, implemented through joint work by our Ministry and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality. With the project, by connecting the city center and two industrial zones, we gave breathing room to Gaziantep’s urban traffic with 16 stations from Başpınar to Taşlıca. Within the scope of Gaziray, we built a 4-track electrified and signaled railway line on a 25.5-kilometer route, consisting of 2 high-speed train lines and 2 suburban lines. Within the scope of this project, we actually carried out the construction of a total of 112 kilometers of new railway line. Last year, we also began using our first national suburban train set on Gaziray. We have also completed the delivery of all 8 train sets used on Gaziray. Again, we have started our 312.5-kilometer Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project, one of the most important railway projects of our region and our country, and we are rapidly continuing its construction. We plan to open the Mersin-Adana section of our project in 2027. When the entire line is completed, we will reduce the travel time between Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep, which currently takes an average of 6.5 hours, to 2 hours and 15 minutes. With a design speed of 200 km/h, we aim to carry an average of 3.1 million passengers and approximately 37.1 million tons of freight per year. We will not stop in Gaziantep; we will continue from there to Nizip and Şanlıurfa. We have also built our Gaziantep Airport’s new domestic and international terminal building with an annual capacity of 6 million passengers.Passenger traffic, which was 223 thousand in 2002, approached 3 million 70 thousand passengers in 2025. From our airport, 168 weekly flight operations are carried out to 13 different locations, 7 of which are international destinations. Let no one doubt that, with the Century of Türkiye vision under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and our growth strategy focused on investment, employment, production, and exports, we will continue to implement projects that meet Gaziantep's needs. As the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, by further strengthening our roads, bridges, tunnels, and all our infrastructure, we will continue to make Gaziantep one of the most modern cities in Turkey and the region. I thank the contractor companies, our General Directorate of Highways personnel, and all our colleagues who contributed to these projects. I wish our works to be auspicious and beneficial for our entire region and our noble nation, especially Nizip and Gaziantep"
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