Ankara (Turkiya News) – Turkey has received $1.98 billion in financial support from the World Bank for a major railway project in Istanbul, announced by the country’s Minister of Treasury and Finance.
The funding will be used to construct a 127-kilometer (78-mile) railway line connecting the Asian and European sides of Istanbul, providing an additional crossing over the Istanbul Strait.
Humberto Lopez, World Bank Country Director for Turkey, stated, “This project is a strategic and transformative investment for Turkey. By eliminating bottlenecks on the Istanbul Strait and enhancing railway infrastructure performance and resilience, Turkey is improving its competitiveness and strengthening its role as a logistics hub.”
The line will bypass central Istanbul to improve traffic flow between Europe and Asia and will have an annual capacity of 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of freight. The project will connect Gebze, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport, and Halkalı, with nearly half of the route consisting of tunnels.
