(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Suayip Alabay
The first welding ceremony of the Halkali-Kapikule railway,
which is part of the Iron Silk Road Project running from Beijing to
London, was held, Yeni Shafak reports.
The 553 million euros project will feature high-speed and
transit trains, as well as people and freight mobility throughout
Europe. With 275 million euros, the project earned the highest fund
ever granted from the European Union. Turkiye covered the remaining
part of the expenses. The line's construction will employ 2,100
people.
Speaking at the welding ceremony, Turkish transport and
Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu noted that Turkiye sits
at the center of 67 nations with a combined economy of $38 trillion
and commerce of $7.4 trillion, thanks to its geostrategic
location.
“Wherever the world goes, Turkiye's strategic value is
increasing. Turkiye is at a crossroads that brings together the
world's raw material resources and economic centers. This means
that the transit transportation between Asia and Europe is carried
out through our country's transportation networks with a
sustainable, uninterrupted, and increasing capacity,” the minister
stressed.
He underlined that Turkiye is on the way to becoming a global
logistics superpower.
“The investments we have made are concrete indications of our
approach to the Iron Silk Road as a strategic issue. The
Cerkezkoy-Kapikule Railway line is the biggest infrastructure
project of the European Union, which is under construction within
the scope of financial cooperation between Turkiye and the EU. We
are building the entire Halkali-Cerkezkoy section with our national
budget. When our project is completed, it will be possible to carry
passengers and cargo on a 229-kilometer route between Halkali and
Kapikule, with double lines, at a speed of 200 km/h,”
Karaismailoglu said.
He went on to say that the railway will receive a significant
share of the investment.
“We aimed to increase the investment rate to 60 percent in 2023
and to increase the share of the railway in freight transportation
from five percent to 22 percent in 2053. We are working with great
devotion 24 hours a day, seven days a week to put a total of 5,147
km of the railway line into the service of our nation,” the
official stressed.
Karaismailoglu added that they have reached the final stage in
the project that will unite the two international airports in
Istanbul.
'Our tender preparations continue for the Gebze-Sabiha Gokcen
Airport-Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge-Istanbul Airport- Halkali-Catalca
High-Speed Train line,' the minister said.
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