Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu pointed out that 2022 was a year full of records in rail passenger transportation and said, “Last year, our YHT passengers increased by 114 percent compared to the previous year and exceeded 9 million 363 thousand. In mainline trains, the number of passengers increased by 327 percent and reached 4 million 326. In 2022, 321 million 285 thousand of our citizens traveled within and between cities with our rail systems.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu stated that they have started to see the results of the investments made in the railway since 2003 and said, “Since 2003, we have made significant investments in our railways under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. We brought our citizens together with the high-speed train. We modernized the main lines, increased the capacity by making them electrified and signaled. As a result, we broke records in both passenger and freight transportation. Our nation loved the conventional, high-speed and urban trains with which it can travel economically, comfortably and quickly with investments.”
12 MILLION 723 THOUSAND CITIZENS PREFER REGIONAL TRAINS
Reminding that the first high-speed train service in Turkey was made in 2009, Karaismailoğlu said, “The number of passengers on high-speed trains is increasing every year. The number of people traveling with YHTs increased by 2022 percent in 114 compared to the previous year and exceeded 9 million 363 thousand. On 30 October, we broke a record with 28 passengers per day on YHTs, which are used by an average of 35 thousand passengers per day. In the same period, the number of passengers traveling on mainlines increased by 792 percent to 327 million 4 thousand. The rate of increase in regional trains was 326. Last year, 174.5 million 12 thousand citizens traveled on regional trains," he said.
COMFORTABLE AND FAST TRANSPORT IN THE CITY
Underlining that comfortable and fast travel opportunities are provided in the city with Marmaray, Izban, Başkentray and Gaziray, Minister of Transport Karaismailoğlu noted that both traffic is relieved with urban rail systems and air pollution is prevented with environmentally friendly systems. Karaismailoğlu said, “Marmaray, which is our century-old dream and one of the most important projects that marked this century, is the apple of our eye, the most important part of Istanbul's transportation map. On 17 December 2022, more than 687 thousand passengers traveled on Marmaray, which serves almost all of Istanbul with its connections such as metro and metrobus, breaking the record. The number of passengers on Marmaray increased by 65 percent last year, reaching 191 million. Since its opening, we have hosted 822 million passengers on Marmaray.”
THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS IN BAŞKENTRAY INCREASED 78 PERCENT
Stating that the line length of Izban, which connects Izmir from one end to the other, is 136 kilometers, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Karaismailoğlu stated that the number of passengers carried in Izban in 2022 increased by 52.8 percent to 84 million 893 thousand. Noting that Başkentray also helped Ankara's transportation, Karaismailoğlu said, “The number of passengers in Başkentray increased by 78 percent and exceeded 19 million. We put Gaziray into service in Gaziantep in November with the presence of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Gaziantep residents loved Gaziray, which facilitates transportation. In November and December of last year, a total of 527 thousand 325 citizens traveled to Gaziray.
Underlining that the citizens who prefer the railway within the city and between the cities are increasing day by day, Karaismailoğlu stated that in 2021, a total of 191 million 585 thousand people preferred railway transportation within the city and between the cities, and this reached 2022 million 67.7 thousand with an increase of 321 percent in 285.
WE ARE TAKING CONFIDENT STEPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR TARGETS BEGINNING FOR THE CENTURY OF TURKEY
Expressing that they have put into service and will continue to take important milestones of the “Turkish Century” with their investments, Karaismailoğlu pointed out that they entered a period in which railway investments gained weight, and that the ongoing railway investment budget, together with urban rail systems, reached 27 billion dollars. Minister of Transport, Karaismailoğlu, pointed out that the works on the high-speed train network of 4 thousand 200 kilometers between cities are currently continuing as well as in the inner-city metros, and said, “We are moving forward with firm steps in line with our goals worthy of the Century of Turkey”.
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