How Much of the Ankara İzmir YHT Project, the foundation of which was laid in 2013, is finished?

2013 years have passed since the Ankara-İzmir High Speed ​​​​Train project, the foundation of which was laid in 7, 7 ministers have changed, not even half of the project is finished. Republican People's Party (CHP) İzmir Deputy and KİT Commission CHP Group Sözcüsü Atila Sertel asked TCDD General Manager Ali İhsan Uygun about the latest status and completion date of the Ankara-İzmir YHT project.

Answering Sertel's question, TCDD General Manager Ali İhsan Uygun gave the following information:

“In the Ankara-İzmir High Speed ​​​​Train project; Infrastructure works continue in Banaz-Eşme, Uşak (Eşme)-Manisa (Salihli), Salihli-Manisa sections. 43,44 percent physical progress has been achieved in infrastructure construction works. The remaining infrastructure and electromechanical construction works are included in the AYGM investment program, and a tender was made by AYGM on October 6, 2020 and the contract was signed for the execution with external financing.

74 percent physical progress has been achieved in the infrastructure construction work of the 44,83-kilometer Eşme-Salihli section of the project. In this section, 22,7 tunnels with a total length of 25 km and 4,6 viaducts with a total length of 21 km will be built. 25 percent physical progress was achieved in 23,9 tunnels in total. 5 percent of the manufacturing has been completed in 100 tunnels; Although the manufacturing works in 7 tunnels continue, a total of 5 thousand 248 meters of tunnels have been manufactured.”

“TO-DO”

Stating that the TCDD General Manager could not give the completion date of the project despite his asking, CHP İzmir Deputy Atila Sertel said, “The foundation of the project was laid in 2013, it was announced that it would be finished in 2020, but we learn that only 43,44 percent of it has been completed so far. Although 7 years have passed, even half of it has not been completed. It is unknown when it will open. I brought the same issue to the agenda several times during my parliamentary term, but unfortunately the only answer we get is 'check-out'. It is said to be done, to be done, but the project can never be completed. If it goes at this speed, I guess we won't be able to ride. Life ends, the road does not end, but this road seems to never end. But what I see is that the AKP government is over. The completion of this project will be in our power," he said.