Turkey’s High-Speed Train Goals: Uninterrupted Connectivity to 27 Cities by 2028

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that Turkey’s railway network expansion and modernization efforts are ongoing without interruption and shared its ambitious goals. With ongoing investments, they aim to increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed train (YHT) from 11 to 27 by 2028. This goal aims to bring a significant part of the country into high-speed train comfort.

Dates Announced for Major High-Speed Train Projects

Minister Uraloğlu announced the completion schedules of the critical lines under construction. The important routes are as follows:

Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Rail Line: The Polatlı-Afyon section is targeted to be completed in 2027, and the entire line by 2028.

Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Line: It is planned to be completed in 2027.

Bandırma-Bursa-Yenişehir-Osmaneli High-Speed Train Line: The Osmaneli-Bursa section is expected to be operational in 2026, and the Bandırma-Bursa section in 2028.

Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line: For the European connection, the critical segment of this line, Çerkezköy-Kapıkule, will be completed in 2026, and the Çerkezköy-Halkalı segment in 2028.

Yerköy-Kayseri, Karaman-Ulukışla and Kırıkkale-Delice-Çorum lines are also among the projects targeted for completion by the end of 2028.

Future Logistics Corridors and Super High-Speed Trains

Projects of regional and international significance have also begun in the railway sector. The Zengezur Corridor connection has been initiated with the 224-kilometer Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway Line. Additionally, with the North Marmara High-Speed Rail Line, high-capacity freight and passenger transport will be provided between Asia and Europe, and Sabiha Gökçen and Istanbul airports will be connected in a single corridor.

The Ankara-Istanbul Super High-Speed Train Project, which is in the financing phase, is 344 kilometers long, and the aim is for trains to reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour. Once this line is completed, travel time between the two cities will drop to 80 minutes. With projects like the Gaziantep-Shanlıurfa-Mardin-Nusaybin-Ovaköy Line, which will be integrated into the Development Road, and the Samsun-Sarp High-Speed Train Line, which will connect the east and west of the Black Sea, Turkey is strengthening its role in regional logistics and weaving its entire territory into modern railway networks.