The Halkalı-Ispartakule Railway Line, which will facilitate transportation in Istanbul, has seen progress.

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The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, stated that 74% of the Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line's Halkalı-Ispartakule section has been completed, saying, "We aim to finish our works by the end of 2025."

Uraloğlu, speaking at the TBM-1 Light Seeing Ceremony of the Halkalı-Ispartakule Railway Line, mentioned that light has been seen in the tunnel between Halkalı and Ispartakule, which constitutes approximately 8.4 kilometers of the ongoing Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line.

THE HISTORICAL SILK ROAD IS REVIVING

Uraloğlu emphasized the importance of bringing the Silk Railway Project, considered the shortest, safest, and most economical corridor between Asia and Europe, to life, stating that the total length of the project known as the Halkalı-Ispartakule-Çerkezköy-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line is approximately 229 kilometers.

Uraloğlu noted that the line consists of three sections: the 153-kilometer Kapıkule-Çerkezköy, the 67-kilometer Çerkezköy-Ispartakule, and the 8.4-kilometer Ispartakule-Halkalı sections, saying, "With the completion of all sections, we aim to increase the existing line capacity by 4 times, reducing passenger travel time from 4 hours to 1 hour and 30 minutes, and cargo transport time from 8 hours to 3.5 hours."

Uraloğlu explained that they have completed all infrastructure, superstructure, electrification, signaling, and telecommunication works for the new 8.4-kilometer railway line in this section.

"74% OF THE HALKALI-ISPARTAKULE SECTION HAS BEEN COMPLETED"

Minister Uraloğlu stated that they have completed the TBM portal works in the Halkalı section, which is the entry point of the project, and continued: "As of today, we are happy to have completed the excavation works in the TBM-1 Tunnel, which is 6.4 kilometers long and has been excavated with TBM machines, reaching the light-seeing stage. We have made 80% progress in the excavation works of the TBM-2 tunnel. We will complete the excavation works there as soon as possible. We have achieved 74% progress overall in our Halkalı-Ispartakule section, and we aim to finish our works by the end of 2025. Once our works are completed, we will integrate the 67-kilometer line continuing from Ispartakule to provide passenger and freight services from the existing Halkalı Station to the Çerkezköy district, and from there to the Kapıkule Line."

"IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE ACCESS TO 3.1 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE REGION TO ISTANBUL"

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Uraloğlu stated that the Halkalı-Çerkezköy Railway Line will be an important part of the national railway network and will also function as a suburban line for the continuation from Halkalı, providing the following information: "With the tunnel where we saw the light, reaching from Halkalı to Ispartakule, our citizens in Ispartakule and the surrounding Esenyurt district and Bahçeşehir neighborhood will gain access to Istanbul's rail system. Thus, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, the 3.1 million people in this region who want to reach the metropolis will be able to access the YHT from Halkalı Station, the Halkalı-Istanbul Airport Line we are continuing to construct, the Ataköy-Olympic Metro from Ataköy Station, the Bakırköy-Kayaşehir Metro from Bakırköy Station, the Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme Rail System Line from Kazlıçeşme, the Yenikapı-Atatürk Airport, Yenikapı-Kirazlı, and Yenikapı-Hacıosman metro lines, the metrobüs from Söğütlüçeşme, the Kadıköy-Sabiha Gökçen Airport Metro from Ayrılıkçeşmesi, the Üsküdar-Ümraniye-Samandıra Metro from Üsküdar, the Bostancı-Dudullu Metro from Bostancı, and the Gebze Station."

Uraloğlu stated that they started the works on the 67-kilometer route extending from Ispartakule to Çerkezköy from the Çerkezköy side, and explained that in the coming periods, they will reach Çerkezköy by constructing Bahçeşehir and Çatalca stations in the section continuing from Ispartakule.

"THE KAPIKULE-ÇERKEZKÖY SECTION IS ALSO TARGETED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2025"

Minister Uraloğlu stated that they partially used European Union funds for the financing of the 153-kilometer Kapıkule-Çerkezköy section of the Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line, and mentioned that they are at the stage of completing the earthworks, excavation, and filling works.

Uraloğlu stated that they have built 4 new station buildings, namely Babaeski, Lüleburgaz, Büyükkarıştıran, and Kapıkule, saying, "We have achieved approximately 88% physical progress in the overall works of the Kapıkule-Çerkezköy section. We aim to complete the works of this section by the end of 2025, just like our Halkalı-Ispartakule section."

Uraloğlu noted that they have been striving for a long time to realize the Halkalı-Kapıkule Railway Line Project in cooperation with the EU, stating, "Our trains gliding on iron rails will not only carry passengers and freight but will also bring a new breath to the lives of our people. The commercial mobility that will begin with this line will provide great benefits to the economic development of our region and our country."

Uraloğlu emphasized that this line will also increase the amount of cargo transported from Turkey to Europe, stating, "I also believe that the Development Road Project, which I think will further advance our relations with Europe, aims to provide uninterrupted transportation from the FAV Port in Iraq to London by land and rail. Last week, we held the 2nd Ministerial Council Meeting within the scope of the Development Road in Baghdad. We confirmed our determination regarding the project with the Memorandum of Understanding we signed."

"CONSTRUCTION WORKS FOR NEW HIGH-SPEED TRAIN LINES ARE CONTINUING"

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Uraloğlu stated that they have initiated a new era in railways to turn the opportunities provided by Turkey's geographical location into economic and commercial advantages, stating that the railway length, which was approximately 11,000 kilometers in 2003, has increased to 13,919 kilometers.

Currently, Uraloğlu stated that construction works are ongoing for the high-speed train lines of Halkalı-Kapıkule, Ankara-İzmir, Bandırma-Bursa-Yenişehir-Osmaneli, Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep, and Yerköy-Kayseri. "We have also tendered the Kars-Aralık-Iğdır-Dilucu Railway Project and the Dörtyol-Hassa Railway and Highway Project, and we will start their construction as soon as possible. We are about to hold the tender for the Delice-Çorum-Samsun High-Speed Train Line between Delice and Çorum soon. In line with our 2053 targets, we aim to increase our railway line length to 28,600 kilometers," he said.

"LIGHT SEEN IN THE TUNNEL"

After the speech, Minister Uraloğlu instructed to see light in the Halkalı-Ispartakule Railway Line.

After the operation of the first tunnel boring machine TBM-1, light was seen in the Halkalı-Ispartakule Railway Line. Following the sighting of the light, two workers who emerged from the tunnel boring machine unfurled the Turkish flag.

Thanking the machine operator, Uraloğlu took photos with the workers after the ceremony.