Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the delivery ceremony of the first National Suburban Train Set to be used in Gaziray and carried out the first test drive. Minister Uraloğlu said, “We are experiencing a process that will leave its mark on history by producing our own national suburban trains. We are producing 8 suburban train sets, each with a capacity of one thousand passengers.”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu attended the delivery ceremony of the first National Suburban Train Set to be used in Gaziray and carried out the first test drive. Minister Uraloğlu stated that within the scope of the Gaziray project, 25,5 high-speed train lines and 2 suburban lines, 2 lines of electric and signalled railway lines were built on a 4-kilometer route. Minister Uraloğlu said, “We have actually built a total of 112 kilometers of new railway lines within the scope of this project.”
Reminding that Gaziray was opened in 2022 with the cooperation of our Ministry and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Minister Uraloğlu continued his speech as follows:
“The Gaziray Electric Train Sets developed by TÜRASAŞ, which is affiliated with our Ministry, are a very important milestone in terms of showing the point Türkiye has reached in domestic rail system technology. By putting our national suburban train set on the rails on Gaziray, we are leaving the import period in this field behind and opening the door to a brand new domestic and national era for the first time from Gaziantep.”
Minister Uraloğlu drew attention to the fact that the project connects the city center with two industrial zones and provides a breath of fresh air to Gaziantep city traffic with 16 stations from Başpınar to Taşlıca. Minister Uraloğlu noted that a total of 112 kilometers of new railway lines were built within the scope of the Gaziray project and said, “We built a 25,5-line electric and signaled railway line, including 2 high-speed train lines and 2 suburban lines on a 4-kilometer route.”
Emphasizing that the domestic industry has been developed in the last 23 years and national products with high technology have been produced in many strategic areas, Uraloğlu noted that they have become a global export country worldwide. Minister Uraloğlu said, “Turkey, which once could not produce flag rope and imported even pins, is now producing the most important and strategic technologies in the world.” Uraloğlu continued his speech with the following words:
“We are going through a period that has left its mark on history by producing our own automobiles, communication and observation satellites, UAVs and SIHAs, fighter jets, helicopters, ships, national electric trains and now national suburban trains,” he said.
Strong Transportation with Domestic Production
Minister Uraloğlu, stating that a much more modern, safe and comfortable transportation opportunity is offered in urban public transportation, said, “23 years of domestic and national products under the leadership of our President have become the symbol of our nation's rise with its own power, self-confidence and our bright future. Now, we are adding strength to the power of Gaziantep's transportation infrastructure by saying strong transportation with domestic production.”
He noted that the vehicles, which reflect the cultural texture of the city with their design and equipment within the scope of the project, were specially produced for the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality. Minister Uraloğlu said in his speech, “We are producing 32 suburban train sets consisting of 8 wagons, which we colored by taking inspiration from the Antep baklava, which is registered as the geographical indication of our city.”
Each set has a total capacity of 206 passengers, 1000 of whom are seated.
Providing information about the train sets, Minister Uraloğlu said, “Each of our train sets has been designed with an operating speed of 90 kilometers per hour and with aluminum vehicle bodies. Each set, consisting of four wagons, two of which have driver’s cabins, has a total passenger capacity of 206, 1000 of which are seated passengers.” Stating that there are also 2 wheelchair sections in the vehicle, Minister Uraloğlu noted that there are 32 high-security passenger doors and 42 information screens. Minister Uraloğlu continued his speech with the following words:
“It draws attention with its technology in its equipment as well as comfort and safety with its electrical and electronically controlled equipment such as 4 interior and 16 exterior security cameras, 4 in each vehicle positioned in a way that leaves no blind spots, and sound system. We have also made the maintenance and repair processes more efficient with our suburban set that we have produced to be compatible with other suburban lines.”
7 More Train Sets to be Delivered
Minister Uraloğlu said that 3 more train sets consisting of 3 wagons are planned to be delivered to Gaziantep, the first in June, the other 28 sets in August and the last 7 sets in October.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that approximately 23 billion liras have been invested in the transportation and communication infrastructure of Gaziantep in the last 124 years and gave the following information:
“We have also renewed and modernized the entire railway infrastructure of Gaziantep. We have launched the 312,5-kilometer Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project, one of the most important railway projects of our region and country, and we are rapidly continuing its construction. We have made 59% overall progress. We aim to complete our project in 2027. When the project is completed, we will reduce the average travel time between Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep from 6,5 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes.”
Minister Uraloğlu said that they aim to carry an average of 200 million passengers and approximately 6,4 million tons of cargo per year with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Noting that the Gaziantep-Şanlıurfa High Speed Train Study Project has been completed and included in the investment program, Uraloğlu stated that the construction tender will be held as soon as possible.
Uraloğlu, who mentioned that a new domestic and international terminal building with an annual capacity of 72 million passengers was built at Gaziantep Airport on an area of 593 thousand 6 square meters, drew attention to the fact that the passenger traffic, which was 2002 thousand in 223, will approach 2024 million passengers in 3. Minister Uraloğlu gave the following information: “7 weekly flight operations are carried out from our airport to 13 different locations, 149 of which are international points.”
Minister Uraloğlu concluded his speech by saying, “With the understanding of our ancestors, “Let the people live so that the state lives,” we will continue to serve our homeland and nation tirelessly in our government and municipalities with the support of the Nationalist Movement Party.”
