SAMSUN – Türkiye’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the Yeşilkent Interchange in Samsun will generate annual savings of 645 million Turkish lira, including 600 million lira in time savings and 45 million lira in fuel savings.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Yeşilkent Interchange, Minister Uraloğlu began by offering condolences to Samsun Member of Parliament Ersan Aksu on the passing of his father, wishing patience to his family.
Uraloğlu congratulated Samsun, which was once again honored with the Medal of Independence in 2025, noting that the city proudly carries this distinguished award as the place where the first step of the National Struggle was taken. He said Samsun holds a special place for him, as he knows and loves the city well from his time serving as a Regional Director of Highways, and added that he was especially pleased to make his first provincial visit of 2026 to Samsun.
Emphasizing the government’s motto of “No stopping, keep moving forward,” Uraloğlu said infrastructure investments in Samsun are continuing at full speed. He underlined that Samsun’s strong economic structure and dense population make it an indispensable hub not only for regional transportation but also for east–west and north–south transit corridors.
Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s vision that “roads mean civilization,” Uraloğlu stated that the ministry continues to work tirelessly to further strengthen Samsun’s potential.
Ankara–Samsun High-Speed Rail Project Underway
Uraloğlu noted that construction has begun on an approximately 3-kilometer railway connection line that will link the Havza Organized Industrial Zone (OSB) to the national rail network.
He also provided updates on the 293-kilometer Ankara–Kırıkkale–Çorum–Samsun High-Speed Rail Line, which will introduce high-speed rail comfort to Samsun once completed. The first phase of the project, the 120-kilometer Kırıkkale Delice–Çorum section, began construction last year.
“This project has gone down in history as Türkiye’s first high-speed rail passenger transport project connecting Ankara to the northern regions of the country,” Uraloğlu said. “When completed, travel time between Ankara and Samsun will be reduced to 2.5 hours. The line will carry 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of freight annually, connecting the Black Sea to global markets via the Mediterranean.”
Rail Modernization and Logistics Investments
Uraloğlu also highlighted that the Samsun–Sivas railway line, Türkiye’s largest railway modernization project, has had its entire infrastructure and superstructure renewed and has been equipped with signaling systems.
In addition, he said that a logistics center covering 258,000 square meters in Gelemen has been put into service, adding 1.1 million tons of additional capacity to the logistics sector. He added that a roughly 7-kilometer connection line between the Gelemen and Tekkeköy logistics villages has also been completed, fully integrating the two logistics centers.
These investments, Uraloğlu noted, will further strengthen Samsun’s role as a strategic transportation and logistics hub linking the Black Sea region with the rest of Türkiye and international markets.
source: Patronlar Dünyası/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök