Will High Speed ​​Train Come to Kayseri in 2028?

25/11/2023 38 Kayseri, Central Anatolia Region, RAILWAY, GENERAL, High Speed Trains, HEADLINE, TRANSPORT, TURKIYE
Will High Speed ​​Train Come to Kayseri?
Will High Speed ​​Train Come to Kayseri?

The other day, the budget of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure was discussed in the Planning and Budget Commission. Saadet Party Kayseri Deputy Mahmut Arıkan; Saadet Group also included Kayseri high-speed train on the agenda of its speech.

The budget marathon continues in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). The negotiations, which started on October 26, will be completed at the end of November and the 2024 Budget will be presented to the general assembly. The budget of a ministry is discussed every day in the commission. The other day, the budget of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the fifth largest budget ministry, was discussed in the commission. Saadet Party Kayseri Deputy Mahmut Arıkan also made a speech on behalf of the Saadet Group. In his speech, Arıkan touched upon many issues, from unfinished investments to 2023 targets, from highways to communications, from railways to maritime. In his speech, Arıkan discussed the 2011 targets announced before the 2023 General Elections; Stating that an average of 20 percent of the targets were achieved in transportation, infrastructure and communication, he asked the following question;

“We touched upon some investments in the fields of highway, railway, maritime, aviation and communication within our Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. We have revealed the targets set in 2011 and their achievement rates. I will rephrase. We are not against the investments, services, bridges and roads. We congratulate all your investments that are completed and beneficial to the nation and the country. But we have been entrusting the government with a budget of trillions for years. Now the next realization rates are 26 percent, 14 percent, 52 percent. If we focus on the 26 percent that has been realized and consider it sufficient, we will be held accountable. Our question is; What is your excuse for this great lack of foresight?”

“When will the high-speed train come to Kayseri?”

The fate of the high-speed trains across Turkey and the Kayseri high-speed train were also on Arıkan's agenda. Arıkan continued his words as follows; “As a Kayseri citizen and Kayseri MP, I would like to express a problem with your ministry. The issue is the high-speed train issue. We saw how the high-speed train issue was a showcase project and how it was expressed in the squares every election. We are experiencing serious difficulties in both strategic planning and project duration regarding the high-speed train issue. First of all, while planning High Speed ​​​​Train Projects in provinces such as Sivas and Kayseri, a strategic planning mistake was made such as building the High Speed ​​​​Train Station buildings outside the city. However, the extension of the projects later became an advantage, and with the change of administrators in the meantime, this mistake was corrected and it was decided to move the YHT Station to the city center in Kayseri again. We appreciate and support this. It could only be opened after 15 years had passed since the announcement of the Ankara - Sivas High Speed ​​​​Train Railway Project and the project phase, and 11 years since the start of construction. We experienced the same thing on Bursa High Speed ​​Train. The Bursa, Yenişehir, Osmaneli high-speed train line, which started in 2012 and was resupplied many times, is still not completed. They set a date for 2024. We do not want the story of the high-speed train coming to Kayseri to be like this. But that's the way things are. Since the Minister is the Kayseri Regional Directorate, I think they know the highway density on Kayseri better. Even if the stones of Kayseri Castle could speak; how many times the good news was given, how many times it was postponed. Our story is actually a 15-year story. After lingering for a long time, it was voiced more by the government around 2015. In January 2018, we heard: 'Good news! 'The distance between Ankara and Kayseri will be one and a half hours'. We said 'Good luck'. Then the good news was given again and it was said that; 'The tender has been made, the loan has been found, we will take the train in 2026'. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 23, 2022, with the participation of the president. In the 2022 budget presentation made in 2023, the date of 2027 was given. During the election time, the president came to Kayseri in May 2023 and said, 'This job will be completed in 2025.' The latest information from your ministry is this; 'External Loan approval has been completed for the Yozgat (Yerköy)-Kayseri High Speed ​​Train Project between Ankara and Kayseri, and the site has been delivered to the contractor. Construction site installations have been completed and work has actually started at different points. The project is planned to be completed in 2028.' "The reunion of our story has been postponed to 2028 for now," he said. Arıkan finished his sentences as follows;

“Budget right is a constitutional right. Therefore, the burden on us is great. We are not against building roads or bridges. We are against strategic mistakes while doing these. We are against the slaughter of nature. We are against allocating huge budgets when it can be done much cheaper. We are not against high-speed trains. We are against your lack of seriousness because of the projects being postponed every time. We are not against this budget; But we are against your shortsighted spending policies. When these are solved, there will be no problem. With these feelings and thoughts, I hope that the 2024 budget will be beneficial and I respectfully greet the audience.”