{"id":240587,"date":"2025-06-23T18:43:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T08:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=63380"},"modified":"2025-06-23T18:43:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T08:43:58","slug":"preparations-underway-for-second-rail-border-crossing-between-turkiye-and-bulgaria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=240587","title":{"rendered":"Preparations underway for second rail border crossing between T\u00fcrkiye and Bulgaria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bulgaria and T\u00fcrkiye will be building a second rail border crossing. On the Bulgarian side, preparations are now ongoing to start working on the project. Once operational, the new crossing and accompanying railway should relieve the important Kap\u0131kule border point.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Bulgaria has prepared implementation plans, an \u201canalysis of the existing situation\u201d, traffic forecasts and a capacity analysis, according to the country\u2019s transport ministry. Those preparations follow a memorandum of understanding signed with T\u00fcrkiye in 2023, in which the two countries committed to accelerating the construction of a new border crossing.<\/p>\n

The new crossing, which will be located in the area of the town of Lesovo, should help relieve the Kap\u0131kule border crossing. It is currently the only operational rail border point between Bulgaria and T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n

In the future, the Kap\u0131kule border crossing will see more traffic, and capacity relief is therefore necessary. T\u00fcrkiye is working on a high-speed line, which will also be accessible for freight trains, to Kap\u0131kule from Istanbul.<\/p>\n

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Turkish rail freight association DTD has highlighted the high-speed line to Kap\u0131kule<\/strong> as significant for the country\u2019s rail ambitions. \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<\/p>\n

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