Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of a second railway crossing point, taking into account the increasing railway potential with Bulgaria, and said, "With this second railway line, the east-west freight carrying capacity will increase and the railway potential of the Central Corridor will be significantly increased." will contribute. The Development Path has a significant potential in terms of diversifying mutual trade between Middle Eastern countries and Central Corridor countries and being a supportive and complementary initiative to access new markets. We will also build a new railway in the east of our country, as a new connection, to connect the Zangezur Corridor to our national network. We aim to increase the share of freight transportation via railway to 2053 percent by 22.” he said.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu participated in the Realization of the Trade and Logistics Potential of the Middle Corridor Event organized by the World Bank via videoconference. Underlining that the Central Corridor, which serves as an important land and water bridge between the East and the West, carries the promise of a unique economic growth for the Central Asian and Caucasus countries and even for the Middle Eastern countries, Uraloğlu said, “The World Bank study we talked about today, strategic policies, targeted “It highlights the power of investments and cooperation efforts to triple trade volumes and halve transit times in the Central Corridor by 2030.” he said.
“Decisive Actions are Essential to Realize the Middle Corridor Potential”
Stating that decisive actions are essential to fully realize the trade and logistics potential in the Middle Corridor, Minister Uraloğlu said that this study will shed light on prioritizing the steps that need to be taken. Stating that Turkey's railway infrastructure is sufficient to meet the current demand, Uraloğlu said, “We have not encountered any capacity problems in the shipment of the cargo from the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line to Edirne. Our national carrier, TCDD Transportation, ensures that the vehicles towing and being towed in Kars are always ready to meet the freight flow coming from the east. “Contrary to the assessment, I would like to point out that there is a freight flow below the infrastructure and vehicle supply in the west of Kars.” said.
“We are considering measures that will increase the capacity of the Central Corridor and eliminate bottlenecks.”
Stating that Middle Corridor stakeholders should come together and look at ways to eliminate problems and prioritize solutions, Uraloğlu said, “With this understanding, we frequently meet with corridor countries and discuss measures that will increase the capacity of the corridor and eliminate bottlenecks within the framework of tripartite mechanisms. The mechanisms we have established with Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan-Georgia are examples of this. On the other hand, we come together with these countries under the umbrella of various international organizations. "We are looking for harmonization methods to facilitate transportation, customs procedures and passage through logistics stops within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, TRACECA, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe." he said.
“It Will Be Possible to Remove Obstacles by Reaching a Common Understanding”
Stating that there is already a sufficient platform to ensure close coordination along the corridor, Uraloğlu stated that it will be possible to quickly remove the obstacles by reaching a common understanding. Underlining the need to reach a common understanding on the necessity of leaving behind some administrative procedures in order to facilitate the procedures and transactions in order for the transit cargo to reach its destination without encountering any obstacles, Uraloğlu stated that it is important to liberalize the quotas for the highway, which is complementary to the railway, while the east-west freight potential is far above the railway capacity. did.
Underlining that the Central Corridor has a significant commercial and economic potential for the countries in the region, Uraloğlu said that the corridor will contribute to increased trade, economic growth and development by providing a strategic connection between Asia and Europe. Emphasizing that, as Turkey, they continue their determination to develop and strengthen the Central Corridor, Uraloğlu underlined that they strive to increase trade and cooperation between the countries in the region.
“We Aim to Increase the Share of Railway Freight Transport to 22 Percent”
Stating that the report predicts that the demand for container cargo through Turkey will increase by 2021 compared to 2030, Minister Uraloğlu said, “I think this is a very appropriate determination and coincides with our 2053 vision. We plan to make a significant part of our investments, which we aim to make in the field of transportation by 2053, in the railway sector. We aim to increase the share of freight transport via railway to 2053 percent by 22. Therefore, we will ensure that the load shifts from the highway to the railway. “We will also provide the additional capacity required to transport cargo as containers in the Middle Corridor.” said.
Railway Connection with Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
Explaining that they aim to provide more transportation infrastructure and increase transportation connectivity for the increasing trade between Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East in line with our 2053 vision, Uraloğlu said, “In order to ensure the smooth flow of cargo from both Asia and the Middle East, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge We are establishing the second railway connection between the Asian and European continents, after Marmaray. In this context, we plan to implement the Gebze-Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge-Istanbul Airport-Çatalca Railway Project. In addition, currently under construction Halkalı-When the Kapıkule High Speed Railway Project is completed, high-speed train operation will begin between Istanbul and the Türkiye-Bulgaria border. “Thus, we will contribute to uninterrupted trade between regions with higher capacity and speed.” he said.
Divriği-Kars Railway Rehabilitation Project Comes to Life
In addition, Minister Uraloğlu underlined that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bulgaria on the establishment of a second railway crossing point, taking into account the increasing railway potential, and said that the east-west freight carrying capacity will increase with the second railway line and will contribute significantly to the railway potential of the Central Corridor. he stated. Stating that the Divriği-Kars Railway Rehabilitation Project, which is the continuation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, will strengthen the east-west connections by modernizing the existing railway infrastructure and also increase the capacity, Uraloğlu said, “On the other hand, the freight flow between the Central Asian countries that do not have access to the open seas will be improved. In addition to its increase, access points to global trade are diversified. As a new connection in the east of our country, we will build a new railway to connect the Zangezur Corridor to our national network. This connection will be a line that will complete the Middle Corridor together with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line.” said.
New Line through Development
Uraloğlu stated that planning continues not only on the east-west route but also on the north-south axis and continued his words as follows:
The Development Road Project, which will connect the Persian Gulf to Europe and Central Asia via Türkiye, is of great importance. This new route will provide significant convenience for cargo in the region to access Europe and Central Asia. This new route, called the development road, includes the construction of approximately 1.200 kilometers of double-track railway and highway on the Iraqi side. On the Turkish side, we have completed the necessary technical work to connect it to our national railway and highway network with approximately 130 kilometers of railway and 300 kilometers of highway. The Development Path has a significant potential in terms of diversifying mutual trade between Middle Eastern countries and Central Corridor countries and being a supportive and complementary initiative to access new markets. As can be seen, we plan the necessary capacity increases according to the expected load volume and start working on them. As Türkiye, we attach great importance to regional planning and regulations. Regional collaborations are needed for the effective use of investments in the transportation sector.”