Signatures were signed for the financing of 2,3 billion dollars for the Ankara-İzmir High Speed Train Line Project (AIYHT), which will connect Ankara and İzmir in an uninterrupted and comfortable way.
The loan agreement was signed on 17 December 2021 with the participation of more than 20 international banks; The official presentation of the project and the financing provided was held in London on March 17, 2022 as part of the “United Kingdom – Turkey Environmental Finance Conference” with the participation of the Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati and the British Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan.
British Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said in a statement, “Turkey is a critical trading partner for the UK. From this point of view, it is quite normal that the UK's largest external infrastructure financing agreement has a strong continuity.”
Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati stated that the agreement will have a green financing structure and said, "We are very pleased with the long-standing strong cooperation with the UK and we hope to further strengthen this cooperation in the future."
Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered banks will manage the financing provided by important credit institutions operating in England, Switzerland, Austria and Italy for the electric railway to be built between Ankara and Izmir Port.
While it is noteworthy that the financing provided for the project is the largest infrastructure export financing provided by the UK to date, this situation is also confirmed as an indicator of confidence in the Turkish economy.
THE PROJECT, TO BE THE GATE OF EMPLOYMENT, WILL BE COMPLETED IN 42 MONTHS
When the aforementioned Ankara-İzmir High Speed Project, undertaken by the ERG UK & ERG Turkey & SSB AG Joint Venture under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, is completed; Travel time between Ankara and Izmir will be reduced to 3 hours.
In the first stage of the project, between Ankara and Afyon will be put into service. In the second phase, the area between Afyon and Manisa will be put into use, and in the third and last phase, YHT will start to serve between Manisa and Izmir.
While the project is aimed to be completed in 42 months, a total of 22 thousand people will be employed during the construction and operation phases.
WORLD GIANTS COMPETE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT
Under the leadership of ERG International Group, for the design and engineering works of the project and the machinery and equipment to be used; The world-leading companies of many European countries, especially England, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, are in line to become a solution partner. While the traffic of interviews is carried out meticulously in order to identify the companies in question, it is foreseen that business partners will start working as soon as possible.
SAFE AND SAFE TRAVEL WITH YHT
The 503,3-kilometer YHT line will pass through the provincial borders of Ankara, Eskişehir, Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya, Uşak, Manisa and İzmir, and under its operation, stations and stations will serve in Emirdağ, Afyonkarahisar, Uşak, Salihli, Turgutlu and Manisa regions.
Within the scope of the project, which was delivered in February, 7 stations and 3 big stations will be built. While the construction works of 24 tunnels, more than 30 bridges and viaducts are carried out on a 7/24 basis, 36-meter-long rails with the latest technology and specially produced for high-speed train lines will be used.
While the high-speed train line provides high speed and comfort with the switch systems to be produced specifically for the project, YHT will be the address of safe and secure travel with the flawless software to be used, signaling and communication systems.
INVESTMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THERMAL TOURISM
The investment will not only connect Ankara and İzmir uninterruptedly; It will also facilitate the transportation of important centers such as Afyon, one of Turkey's most important thermal tourism centers, to Ankara. All other natural beauties, including the thermal springs that Afyon offers, as well as its cultural and historical background, and its rich cuisine will now be accessible to the people of Ankara for daily use and easily. In this way, serious contributions will be made to the domestic tourism and economy of Afyon.
ECO-FRIENDLY PROJECT
During the manufacturing, construction and operation periods of the High Speed Train Line Project, the investment will be implemented in a way that respects the environment and nature, by complying with the national and international rules at the highest level. The cultural heritage and natural assets on the environmentally friendly investment line where 'Green' will be protected will be protected and renewed. The fact that 4 plant species discovered during the project work of the investment were brought to the scientific world was an indicator of the integration of the YHT line with nature before it was built.
If one of the districts of Manisa were cancelled, I think it would be better if there was a station to Uşak Eşme.