Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO) President Ali Bahar stated that if the Antalya-Eskişehir high-speed train line is put into practice, it will create an added value that is approximately 2 times higher than the Antalya-Kayseri line. announced that they will start
ATSO April Ordinary Assembly Meeting was held in ATSO Assembly Hall with the participation of Assembly Council, Board of Directors and Assembly Members. Announcing that they will launch a campaign for high-speed train investment in Antalya in his speech where topics such as Antalya trade, KGF loans and EYT come to the fore, ATSO President Ali Bahar said, “Although promises have been made that the high-speed train project, which has been Antalya's dream for years, will be implemented in 2023, unfortunately, it has not yet been implemented. no attempt has been made. I would like to state that we will make great efforts to bring it to life. That's what we're going for. The target is 200 signatures," he said.
“We have mentioned it many times”
Complaining that although promises have been made that the high-speed train project, which has been Antalya's dream for years, will be put into practice in 2023, unfortunately, there has been no initiative yet, Bahar said, “When I was also a member of the board of directors in 2013, a signature campaign was launched to bring the project that will be completed in 2023 to the EXPO fair to be held in 2016. we arranged. In order to be a follower of the subject in the current process, an authorized friend from the Research and Development Directorate of our Chamber visited both the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the General Directorate of TCDD and conducted a research on the current status of the project. Survey and project activities have been completed by TCDD, stations, bridges, tunnels and viaducts on the entire route and route have been determined, and even positive EIA reports have been received, in short, there are 2 different projects that have been completed completely.
“Antalya line is a great added value”
Pointing out that even though the line length and economic cost of both lines are equal, there is a serious difference in terms of returns, Bahar said, “So much so that the annual number of passengers predicted in the studies conducted for the Antalya-Konya-Kayseri line, which we have been talking about for years, was 4 million. While this number is 5 million tons for the Eskişehir line and 4,5 million tons for the Kayseri line, this number is foreseen as 10 million tons for the Eskişehir line. In fact, these data are the data of the study conducted in 2020. As you know, where our city came from today, these numbers and productivity have increased even more. As a result, if the Antalya-Eskişehir line is implemented, it is expected to create an added value approximately 2 times higher than the Antalya-Kayseri line. On the other hand, the fact that this line will be connected to İzmir and Ankara by high-speed train via Afyon, and to Bursa and Istanbul via Eskişehir will increase the economic value it will bring to Antalya many times.
“We will ensure that it is included in the investment program”
Bahar pointed out that the first step they need to take in order to implement the Antalya - Eskişehir line is to ensure that this project is included in the 2024 Presidential Investment Program. Noting that they will launch a petition as ATSO right after the election to be held on May 14, Bahar said, “We will start this petition by asking support from all stakeholders in our city and we will include the chambers of commerce and industry in all cities where the train line will pass. Then, we will make great efforts to include the project in the Presidential Investment Plan and to implement it, with the support of the deputies of our city and other cities on the route, by keeping the road to Ankara. That's what we're going for. The target is 200 signatures. This is a big project,” he said.