High Speed Train to Eastern Anatolia: A Two-Phase Strategy

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced the plans for the high-speed train line that will extend to Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars. Minister Uraloğlu stated that the project will be realised not in one go, but in a phased process. This strategy aims to rapidly improve the region’s railway infrastructure.

First Phase Modernisation of the existing line

In his statement at the 5th Global Media Meeting of the Global Council of Journalists (KGK), Minister Uraloğlu responded to the question of when the high-speed train will reach these provinces. In the first phase, the existing railway line will be modernised.

Uraloğlu detailed this improvement process with the following words:

“In the first stage, we will improve the existing line. We have a project. We will speed up the existing line by electrifying and signalling it within a few years. After that, we will bring the high speed train.”

This plan aims to maximise the safety and speed standards of the existing railway network before high-speed train service is provided to the Eastern Anatolia Region.