13.2 percent increase in exports via railways

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu reported that there was a 13.2 percent increase in exports by rail in the January-July 2024 period compared to the same period of the previous year and 1.2 million tons of export cargo was carried.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu shared the data on export cargo for the January-July 2024 period in a written statement. Uraloğlu stated that Turkey has gained significant momentum in railway transportation and said, “We see that the use of railways in our country’s export transportation is increasing every year. In order to meet the increasing need, we are working non-stop to develop railway transportation and our transportation infrastructure, which stand out with its environmentally friendly and economical aspects, under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We have also renewed conventional lines that have been untouched for almost a century. We have connected our organized industrial zones, factories and ports to our railway network.”

‘IT WILL INCREASE EXPORT VOLUME EVEN FURTHER’

Minister Uraloğlu noted that railway transportation increased Turkey’s export potential in terms of both speed and capacity, and said, “We broke a record by carrying 1.2 million tons of exports in the first 7 months of 2024, with a 13.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The developing capacity of Turkey’s railway transportation will further increase export volume in the coming years. The exports we carry out by railway are an important element of our country’s economic growth. Our goal is to further strengthen Turkey’s strategic role in Europe’s trade lines by expanding these networks.”

’86 PERCENT OF EXPORTS ARE FROM ISTANBUL AND SURROUNDING PROVINCES’

Stating that Istanbul and surrounding provinces play an important role in railway transportation, Uraloğlu said, “More than 1 million 32 thousand tons of cargo, corresponding to 86 percent of the said transportation, was transported from Istanbul and surrounding provinces. In addition, we also transport export products from provinces such as Izmir, Eskisehir, Ankara and Sivas to Europe.”

Minister Uraloğlu stated that these transports demonstrated Turkey’s logistic power and the importance of railway transport in exports, and that railway connections, which provide connectivity with Europe, made great contributions both economically and environmentally.

‘8 FREIGHT TRAINS PROVIDE UNINTERRUPTED TRADE TO EUROPE’

Emphasizing that Turkey’s role as a trade bridge between Asia and Europe has been further strengthened with the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, Uraloğlu stated that infrastructure improvements and cooperation agreements between European and Central Asian railways have enabled Turkey to have a greater say in export transportation. Referring to the increasingly stronger ties between Turkey and Europe in railway transportation and the strategic importance of export trends in this area, Uraloğlu said, “At least 8 daily freight trains that we operate between Turkey and Europe provide uninterrupted trade to Europe. The primary exported products are automotive spare parts, textile products, food, electronic products, chemical products, cement and construction materials. Thanks to this transportation infrastructure, we offer not only a cost advantage but also an environmentally friendly and sustainable transportation model.”