The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, stated that the travel time between Istanbul and Ankara will be reduced to 80 minutes.

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Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu answered questions from Hakan Çelik on CNN Türk's Weekend program. Minister Uraloğlu stated, "We have started to experience 5G in Turkey. We have granted a trial permit. We will announce the tender schedule before the end of this year, and we will hold the tender in the first quarter of next year, and we will receive the first signal at the beginning of 2026."

"MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN AGAINST NEGATIVE WEATHER CONDITIONS"

Minister Uraloğlu's statements are as follows: The meteorology department issued warnings days in advance. We have taken precautions on the highways against snowfall. We had a warning regarding winter tires on December 1. Winter tires are not snow tires. We strongly recommend them. We cannot land all flights related to air travel in Antalya, Ankara, and Istanbul; there are some cancellations. As a ministry, we have taken the necessary precautions.

"OUR REQUESTS HAVE STARTED TO BE MET"

"There are 58 million Instagram users. The population of 75 million uses social media, with a daily usage of 7 hours. We benefit from these platforms, but there are rules that everyone must comply with. We have societal sensitivities. We want these to be adhered to. We do not want to be in a prohibitive mindset. We are trying to manage within the framework of the rules. We said that those who do not comply with the rules will face sanctions, and we have started to do so. Our requests for content removal were not being met, but now they are starting to be met at a higher level."

"SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING IS NOT DISCIPLINED"

This regulation was made globally, not just for Google Turkey. What the Turkish representatives conveyed to us is that they are not well-informed; we asked them a second time and are waiting for their response. Together with the Competition Authority, if we determine that there is indeed unfairness, we will take steps with the Competition Authority.

Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, and X are the most used social media platforms. Social media needs to be differentiated. There are too many shares, and it is not entirely disciplined. We should not believe everything we encounter on social media.

"422 MAJOR ATTACKS OCCUR DAILY"

If you do not take precautions with a computer worth a few thousand dollars, millions of dollars in investment can be paralyzed. There are national precautions we need to take in terms of cybersecurity. If there had been an attack, the current broadcast could have been disrupted. We are cooperating at around 7200 points. We are protecting our entire country in this way. There are 422 major attacks daily, and these are being prevented. We are taking the necessary precautions in cybersecurity. We scan systems with 4 main software. No one's privacy is on our radar or in our area of interest.

"119 FETÖ ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN BLOCKED"

The blocking and suspension of some accounts, etc. We have a good collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, MIT, Justice, and Foreign Affairs. We monitor those who make posts that fall under the definition of terrorism and have them suspended. Social media platforms are paying more attention to us than they did before. Recently, 119 FETÖ accounts were blocked.

"THE FIRST SIGNAL OF 5G WILL BE RECEIVED IN 2026"

We have started to experience 5G in Turkey. We have granted a trial permit. We will announce the tender schedule before the end of this year, and we will hold the tender in the first quarter of next year, and we will receive the first signal at the beginning of 2026.

"RENEWAL OF TURK TELEKOM'S PRIVILEGE RIGHT IS ON THE AGENDA"

There is generally established capacity in Turkey. We can extend this to the street, the sidewalk, and up to the entrance of the building with fiber. After this, we enter the building, and at this point, businesses have no duties or responsibilities. The copper wiring in the internal installations needs to be removed and replaced with fiber. The renewal of Türk Telekom's privilege right is on the agenda for 2026. Instead of contributing more to the treasury, we will prioritize investment. We will say not how many billion dollars to the treasury, but how much infrastructure investment.

"WE ARE ADVANCING EVEN IF THE DEVELOPMENT ROAD IS NOT AT THE DESIRED SPEED"

The Development Road will start from Iraq's Faw port and come to Turkey. It is a project that passes through 2900 kilometers in our country and goes to Kapıkule. The project is more or less completed on the Iraqi side. We are advancing the project even if it is not at the desired speed. There is no practicality in decision-making mechanisms in Iraq. Truck drivers do this; they calculate how long it will take and how much fuel they will use based on which road they take, and how much they will pay if there is a highway. This is progressing with such a description. A ship traveling from China to London through the Suez Canal takes 35 days. Now, going around the Cape of Good Hope takes 45 days. When the Development Road is completed, it will only take 25 days to reach.

Initially, we say let's do it quickly, 8 billion dollars; if we do it double, it reaches 15 billion dollars; if we say let's also build a highway, it reaches 20 billion dollars.

When motorcycles were first brought to the agenda 10 years ago, motorcycles are a vehicle with a more delicate balance. In the event of an accident, if there is a guardrail on the road, the lower part is 30-40 cm empty during a fall, and there are vertical posts. This causes serious injuries. We are placing horizontal elements to cover that width. We have exceeded 150 kilometers. We are getting feedback from motorcyclists, asking where the critical areas are.

CAMERAS WITH FACE RECOGNITION WILL BE INSTALLED IN TAXIS, MINIBUSES, AND BUSES, WORKING TIME WILL BE REDUCED

In general, regarding buses, the most valuable aspect is the tracking of tachographs for travelers, routes, etc. Due to some accidents and security-related problems, we are making cameras mandatory for taxis, minibuses, and buses. We say that a driver cannot drive for more than 8 hours. My document has expired, and I put on another document, but I am still driving. To prevent this, we will install cameras with face recognition. We will do this in the first months of next year.

"HIGHWAYS MAY BE TENDERED AGAIN"

Since 2002, we have built 1500-1600 kilometers of highways. We have constructed 1500 kilometers of highways. When we take over the Build-Operate-Transfer roads, we can do two things. Either re-tender the operation or have it operated by the highways. We are likely considering the re-tendering of these operations. Among the 250 contracting firms in the world, there are 43 Turkish contractors. Our biggest deficiency in the contracting sector is that if our firms that work abroad find the credit themselves, we cannot provide them with opportunities. We are discussing what we can do in the future in this regard.

"THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ANTALYA AND ALANYA WILL BE REDUCED TO 50 MINUTES"

We have made a tender for Delice, which will connect 41 provinces east of Ankara, with a length of 122 kilometers, and we have signed the contract. The distance between Antalya and Alanya will be shortened by a few kilometers and will be reduced to 50 minutes. The speed on the highways is 140 kilometers. There is a main artery that will connect to the Başakşehir Nakkaş road, and we will finish it around 2026.

"THE NORTHERN RAILWAY WILL BE PUT INTO SERVICE IN 2029"

The width of the YSS slab is 59 meters, with 4 lanes for going and 4 lanes for returning, and there are also 2 railway lines in the middle. We said we would pass the railway through here while doing this. The railway is ready for the Bosphorus crossing. The train that will go from China to London will pass through the Bosphorus with the continuously requested capacity.

We will carry out the project of the Northern Railway in a few months. We will complete it and put it into service in 2028-2029.

"ISTANBUL-ANKARA WILL BE REDUCED TO 80 MINUTES"

The Ankara-Istanbul journey will take 80 minutes. By the 8-10 year period, when we reach 2034, we will have it operational. There is interest in this project from the Gulf.

"WE HAVE NO CHANCE TO SOLVE ISTANBUL'S TRAFFIC ON THE SURFACE"

In the Gayrettepe-Kağıthane line, these are not only urban connections but also major centers connecting the airports, as the ministry states, and we have done it. These issues can be taken out of their own channels. We are not very far from that side. As a ministry, we are striving for this. Istanbul's need is around 1000 kilometers. We have no chance to solve this traffic on the surface.