Growth in Railway Transportation – Last Minute

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that 7 million 842 thousand tons of cargo was transported in the January-August period via 286 junction lines of 439 kilometers in the national railway network.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu emphasized that the connection lines that provide direct connections to factories to transport raw materials, semi-finished products and final products of production centers increase the competitiveness of industrialists, manufacturers and exporters, and stated that there are 286 connection lines with a length of 439 kilometers on Turkey’s national railway network. Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that the transportations carried out with these lines constitute approximately 45 percent of all railway freight transportations, and said, “A total of 17 million 445 thousand 855 tons of freight were transported by railways in the first 8 months of 2024. During this 8-month period, 7 million 842 thousand 981 tons of freight were transported by connection lines. We estimate that this figure will exceed 11.5 million by the end of the year.”

Minister Uraloğlu underlined that they plan to reduce the 72 percent freight transport share on highways to 57 percent and increase the 5 percent transport share of railways to 22 percent in line with the 2053 targets. Uraloğlu also noted that as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, they are working together with the General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM), TCDD and TCDD Transportation, as well as sector stakeholders to increase the number of connecting lines. Minister Uraloğlu stated that the construction of the connection lines in Gelemen-Tekkeköy and Yenikent-Kazan Soda, with a total length of 13.3 kilometers, is ongoing, and emphasized that increasing the share of railways in freight transportation is of critical importance, and said, “In line with the 12th Development Plan targets, we aim to increase the total length of our connection lines to 654 kilometers by adding a total of 215 kilometers, 74.5 kilometers of which will be built by TCDD and 141 kilometers by AYGM, to the connection lines with a total length of 439 kilometers. In order to provide connections to logistics centers, factories, industries, OIZs and ports.”

Uraloğlu, who touched on the importance of freight transportation by rail in Turkey, stated that railways have always stood out as an environmentally friendly, low-cost and reliable transportation alternative. Uraloğlu, who also emphasized the critical role of railway transportation in Turkey’s industrialization process, underlined that in railway transportation, connecting lines play an important role in transporting products to the national railway network.