Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Türkiye plans to increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028, with a long-term goal of enabling travel across the country within 48 hours by 2053.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday, Uraloğlu said transportation is essential for trade, production and sustainable development, stressing that infrastructure investments serve not only as physical projects but also as strategic initiatives that support exports, employment, regional development and international cooperation.
He said the government has invested $355 billion in transport and infrastructure over the past 24 years, describing the spending as historic.
Uraloğlu noted that Türkiye has expanded its transport network through divided highways, motorways, high-speed rail lines, ports, airports, logistics centers and communications infrastructure, adding that railways have been treated as a state policy since 2002.
He said railway investments have transformed not only transportation but also the economy and urban development.
According to Uraloğlu, Türkiye's railway network has grown from approximately 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles) in 2002 to nearly 14,009 kilometers today, including 2,251 kilometers of high-speed rail lines.
Uraloğlu said the government has modernized the country's existing 11,000-kilometer conventional railway network while continuing to build new lines.
Construction is ongoing on several major high-speed rail projects, including the Halkalı-Kapıkule, Ankara-Izmir, Bandırma-Bursa-Yenişehir-Osmaneli, and Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep corridors.
He also highlighted the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway, which is expected to strengthen rail connectivity between Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In Istanbul, a planned railway link across the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will provide an alternative rail crossing of the Bosporus in addition to the Marmaray. Uraloğlu said construction is expected to begin later this year following the completion of the tender process.
Beyond the main railway network, Türkiye currently operates 286 branch lines with a combined length of 439 kilometers.
The government aims to expand that figure to 608 kilometers by 2028, while increasing the number of logistics centers from 13 to 25.
Uraloğlu said the country's total railway network is projected to reach 17,287 kilometers by 2028 and 28,590 kilometers by 2053. Construction is currently underway on 4,164 kilometers of new railway lines.
"We will increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028," he said.
Looking further ahead, Uraloğlu said the government's long-term vision is to connect every part of Türkiye through high-speed rail.
"By 2053, we will connect every corner of our country with high-speed railway lines, allowing people to travel across Türkiye within 48 hours," he said.
