CHP's Kılıç Carried A Thousand Lira Allocated Ödemiş Cherry Railway Project to Parliament

CHP İzmir Deputy and Clerk Member of the GNAT Presidency Council Atty. Sevda Erdan Kılıç brought the "Ödemiş-Kiraz Railway Project", for which a funny budget of a thousand TL was allocated in the Presidential 2022 Investment Program, to the agenda of the Assembly.

Kılıç, who submitted a question to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey with the request of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Adil Karaismailoğlu, stated that railway transportation is of great importance in freight and passenger transportation, and that it is an important means of transportation especially for the transportation of freight with a large number of wagons.

Emphasizing that the railway is actively used in freight and passenger transportation between İzmir and Ödemiş, and that this railway also makes a significant contribution to the development of the region, Kılıç from CHP reminded the statement made by AK Party İzmir Deputy Binali Yıldırım that the construction of this project will begin in 2018, when he became the prime minister. Stating that it has been 4 years since this announcement, Kılıç pointed out that the project was included in the Presidential Investment Program in 2018, but no progress could be made in the project, for which a symbolic budget is allocated every year.

In his statement, Kılıç said, “How will the Ödemiş-Kiraz Railway project end with a Thousand Lira? Knowing this, you can write a funny number such as a thousand lira into the investment program. Really give up! But my fellow citizens of Izmir should not worry; As we bring our services to our local people with our Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and district municipalities, we will also offer the state and public facilities to the service of our citizens, as well as local services under the Republican People's Party. We will realize the Ödemiş-Kiraz Railway project by adding our Alaşehir District to this project, not by allocating funny budgets like a thousand liras, but by allocating real budget figures," he said.

The questions Kılıç wants answered are as follows;

1. What is the reason why the project worth 665 million 148 thousand 347 liras has not started yet? Has a plan been made for the start date of the project, which is obviously not going to start in 2022?
2. Considering the increasing costs since 2018 and the recent economic crisis, what is the damage to the central budget that this project could not be realized?
3. Have any studies been carried out on the transit route of the project, the first steps of which were taken in 2011? Are there any areas related to the project that need to be expropriated? If yes, are these areas determined and where are they?
4. How many passengers and cargoes are planned to be transported annually when the project is concluded? How much economic income is targeted with the project?
5. Does the project cover agricultural lands in the region? If so, is there any damage to agricultural lands?
6. Is it planned to extend the Ödemiş-Kiraz Railway project to Alaşehir District?”