{"id":236972,"date":"2025-06-17T19:54:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=63248"},"modified":"2025-06-17T19:54:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:54:41","slug":"how-turkiye-attempts-to-use-rail-to-become-a-logistics-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=236972","title":{"rendered":"How T\u00fcrkiye attempts to use rail to become a logistics hub"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>T\u00fcrkiye has ambitions. It is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, giving it plenty of opportunity to benefit from trade flows transiting its territory. Rail is set to play an important role, and while there already is momentum, there is also considerable room for growth and challenges to be overcome.<\/strong><br \/>\n<span id=\"more-63248\"><\/span>\u201cRail freight in T\u00fcrkiye has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade\u201d, says the Turkish Railway Transport Association (DTD). The total rail freight volume amounted to 31,7 million tonnes in 2023, up from around 26,5 million tonnes ten years prior. \u201cMajor infrastructure investments on the public side and the gradual involvement of the private sector have triggered notable momentum in the industry\u201d, DTD explains.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, Turkish rail freight remains modest in size. It only accounted for 5% of the total transport share in the country. By comparison, its 31,7 million tonnes dwarf Germany\u2019s nearly 370 million tonnes in 2023. Poland\u2019s rail freight volume totalled 223,5 million tonnes in 2024, and the Netherlands achieved 39,7 million tonnes. DTD concludes: \u201cThere\u2019s clearly room for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/23797261\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/23797261\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<h2>Major infrastructure projects<\/h2>\n<p>And growth there may be. T\u00fcrkiye has some major projects going on that could elevate the position and performance of its rail sector. It has equipped 8,000 kilometres of rail with signals and electrified some 7,100 kilometres. \u201cCrucial advancements for environmental sustainability and operational efficiency\u201d, says DTD.<\/p>\n<p>Just as important are some large-scale infrastructure projects. Take, for example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/infrastructure\/2024\/05\/23\/baku-tbilisi-kars-railway-is-officially-open-again-after-year-long-closure\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Baku &#8211; Tbilisi &#8211; Kars<\/a> line, spanning the southern Caucasus region. Its completion has given T\u00fcrkiye a key role in China &#8211; Europe rail traffic along the Middle Corridor.<\/p>\n<p>But on the other side of the country, connections to Europe are also being developed. \u201cThe Halkal\u0131-Kap\u0131kule railway project is the most significant initiative in this context\u201d, explains DTD. \u201cFunded in part by the EU, the project will strengthen Turkey\u2019s integration into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).\u201d Once completed, the electrified double-track line will \u201cimprove both freight and passenger capacity, reduce transit time, and yield environmental benefits\u201d. It will connect Istanbul to the EU\u2019s southern Bulgarian border.<\/p>\n<div style=\"border: 1px solid #004a99; background: #eaf3fb; border-radius: 4px; padding: 12px 15px; margin: 20px 0;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">In February, T\u00fcrkiye completed the drilling of a tunnel on the Halkal\u0131-Kap\u0131kule line, a major step forward in its development.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 10px 0 0 0;\">\n<aside class=\"readmore\">\n<div class=\"readmore-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/beltandroad\/2025\/02\/17\/turkiye-completes-second-rail-tunnel-drilling-for-asia-europe-freight-traffic\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Turkey-tunnel2-128x128.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"readmore-thumbnail\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"readmore-info\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/beltandroad\/2025\/02\/17\/turkiye-completes-second-rail-tunnel-drilling-for-asia-europe-freight-traffic\/\" class=\"readmore-title\">T\u00fcrkiye completes second rail tunnel drilling for Asia \u2013 Europe freight traffic<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p>DTD also points to the Development Road, an Iraqi infrastructure project that could link T\u00fcrkiye to the Persian Gulf, as a promising development. \u201cThis North-South axis will complement the East-West corridors and transform T\u00fcrkiye into a multidirectional logistics intersection. Strengthening the railway components of the Development Road would allow for faster, greener, and more integrated transport with Gulf countries\u201d, the association says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-map\" data-src=\"visualisation\/23797366\"><script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/23797366\/thumbnail\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"map visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>In other words, there is plenty of track work ongoing. But also when it comes to terminals, the country is boosting capacity by quite a lot. T\u00fcrkiye currently has 13 operations centres. That is set to grow by nearly 50%: 6 more are under construction. \u201cHowever, site selection issues in certain locations have affected efficiency, highlighting the need for not only physical, but also strategic planning\u201d, DTD points out.<\/p>\n<h2>The challenges<\/h2>\n<p>In order to make the most of these rail opportunities, there are still obstacles to conquer. For one, rail is not an easy sector financially. Rolling stock is expensive, and it takes a long time to pay itself back. To make matters worse, the Turkish interest rate is now 46%, meaning that cheap financing in Lira is difficult to find. A major barrier to market entry and growth, says DTD. There is a need for adequate financial support mechanisms.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, many of Turkey\u2019s rail lines are still single-track, non-electrified, or non-signalled, the rail association explains. \u201cSteep gradients and tight curves reduce capacity and efficiency. Furthermore, private sector access to rail infrastructure faces technical and operational constraints. Critical \u201clast-mile\u201d connections, particularly to ports and industrial zones, are often missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And lastly, there are administrative imperfections that hinder rail freight development. Confusion over the roles and mandates of institutions, legal ambiguities and slow decision-making hinder private sector engagement. Delays in introducing fair regulations and equal market conditions also undermine competition, says DTD.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, DTD is optimistic about the future of Turkish rail freight. The challenges are not insurmountable, it says. \u201cDTD is committed to being part of the solution, as a policy developer, facilitator, and strategic partner.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"border: 1px solid #004a99; background: #eaf3fb; border-radius: 4px; padding: 12px 15px; margin: 20px 0;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Besides the Turkish enthusiasm for rail transit through its territory, there is also interest from the east. China, Iran, and Central Asian countries seem to have an open mind about developing a new corridor to T\u00fcrkiye through Iran.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 10px 0 0 0;\">\n<aside class=\"readmore\">\n<div class=\"readmore-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/beltandroad\/2025\/05\/12\/six-countries-sign-agreement-to-develop-rail-on-china-iran-europe-route\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-05-12-at-16.21.23-128x128.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"readmore-thumbnail\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"readmore-info\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/beltandroad\/2025\/05\/12\/six-countries-sign-agreement-to-develop-rail-on-china-iran-europe-route\/\" class=\"readmore-title\">Six countries sign agreement to develop rail on China &#8211; Iran &#8211; Europe route<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>T\u00fcrkiye has ambitions. It is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, giving it plenty of opportunity to benefit from trade flows transiting\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10863,9630,8296,17096,17097,6144,123,47,71,8804],"tags":[12634],"class_list":["post-236972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-europe","category-btk-line","category-china-europe","category-development-road","category-dtd","category-halkali","category-middle-corridor","category-rail-news","category-turkey","category-turkiye","tag-railfreight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=236972"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":236973,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236972\/revisions\/236973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=236972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=236972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=236972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}