Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu visited the construction site in the Ereğli district of Konya to examine the works on the Karaman-Ulukışla High Speed Train Line on site. He emphasized that the 135-kilometer double-track, electrified and signaled line will create a significant transformation in regional, national and international transportation.
Minister Uraloğlu, drawing attention to the fact that railways are a safe, economical and fast means of transportation, said, “The Karaman-Ulukışla high-speed train project is a strategic project that will strengthen Türkiye’s railway transportation and increase its logistics capacity.”
Travel Time Between Karaman and Ulukışla Is Shortening
Uraloğlu, who stated that the Karaman-Ulukışla line, which was implemented after the Konya-Karaman high-speed train line, was built for a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, announced that when completed, the travel time between Karaman-Ulukışla will decrease from 145 minutes to 50 minutes. He noted that 5 stations, 2 tunnels, 52 underpasses and overpasses, 15 bridges and 147 culverts were built within the scope of the project.
Uraloğlu emphasized that the line will have the potential to carry 33,48 million tons of cargo and 2,73 million passengers annually, and said, “Thus, the high-speed train network in the east-west and north-south axes of our country will be strengthened. An uninterrupted transportation line will be provided between the Marmara, Central Anatolia, Aegean and Mediterranean regions.”
Access to Istanbul and Izmir from Mersin Becomes Easier with High-Speed Train
Minister Uraloğlu, who stated that the Ulukışla-Yenice line will be used over the existing line, announced the good news that the production and logistics centers in Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Gaziantep will be connected to Istanbul via Karaman and Konya with the high-speed train line to be built in the future, and to Izmir with the completion of the Afyonkarahisar line. He stated that this development will make significant contributions to the regional and national economy.
Significant Progress Made in Infrastructure Works
Uraloğlu, who announced that 92 percent physical progress has been achieved in infrastructure and superstructure works on the Karaman-Ulukışla line, stated that 5 percent progress has been made in electrification works and that signaling works are in the tender phase. He said that the infrastructure works are aimed to be completed by the end of this year.
Integration with the Development Path Project
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the strategic importance of the Karaman-Ulukışla project in Türkiye's Middle Corridor and Iron Silk Road, and stated that a new era began in regional and global trade with the Development Road Memorandum of Understanding signed on April 22, 2024.
Minister Uraloğlu, who announced the completion of the projects for the Gaziantep-Şanlıurfa-Mardin-Nusaybin-Ovaköy route, said, “Planning for the construction process is being carried out meticulously. This line will connect the Middle East to Europe via Turkey and strengthen Türkiye’s role in international trade.”
Uraloğlu stated that with the completion of the project, a high-speed train departing from Karaman will be able to reach Istanbul via Konya and Ankara, and Izmir via Afyonkarahisar, adding that the line is planned to be put into service at the end of 2026 or in the first months of 2027.
