By Emir Yildirim
ISTANBUL (AA) – The railway project on the Third Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, also called the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, as a part of the Development Road project, which aims to connect Asia to Europe, is gaining traction among international lenders.
Speaking at the International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress 2024 in Istanbul on Tuesday, Turkish Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated the World Bank has shown keen interest in the railway project, among others.
The quadrennial event is organized at Istanbul Congress Center on Oct. 15-18 by the Geneva-based federation, with the theme of “Connecting to empower mobility: Roads as enablers of a sustainable future for all.”
Uraloglu noted that geographically and culturally, Türkiye is at the crossroads of continents, “a natural bridge between the Eastern and Western trade corridors, as well as in the Middle corridor, extending from Caucasian countries and Central Asia to Africa.”
The minister mentioned the significant projects, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Eurasia Tunnel, the Marmaray rail line in Istanbul connecting two continents, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and the Northern Marmara Motorway in northwestern Türkiye, adding that work is still underway for new projects to develop the Middle corridor.
As for the Development Road project, Uraloglu stated the uninterrupted rail and road to Europe “from the Grand Faw Port in Iraq to London” will be possible via the project, which is planned to be completed in 2030.
He noted that as a part of the project, 1,200 kilometers (over 745 miles) of highway and railway from the Grand Faw Port to Türkiye will be constructed.
“We are developing our railway network infrastructure by constructing a 2,094-kilometer (over 1,300-mile) railway route for the Development Road project, extending from the northwestern province of Edirne (in eastern Thrace), and 1,923-kilometer (1,195-mile) highway route for the project,” he said.
“We will take concrete steps to start the construction projects in the first months of 2025,” he added.
The minister emphasized that Türkiye’s current high-standard road network spans across 68,494 kilometers (42,560 miles).