845 freight trains passed through the Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, which enables uninterrupted rail transport between Asia and Europe.
According to the information AA correspondent received from TCDD Transportation Inc., affiliated to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Marmaray, which opened on October 29, 2013 and brought great comfort and convenience to the public transportation of Istanbul between Kazlicesme-Ayrilik Cesmesi, served an average of 350-420 thousand people a day on the Gebze-Halkali Line before the epidemic, when it was put into service on 12 March 2019. Marmaray also provides uninterrupted transportation of high-speed trains (YHT) and freight trains to Europe-Asia continents.
Marmaray, which has been providing uninterrupted rail transportation between continents since the day it was put into operation and described as the “dream of 100 years”, provides services for domestic, international and transit freight transportation as well as in-city and intercity passenger transportation.
Continuous transition is made between the continents from Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing
Net 370 thousand tons and gross 700 thousand tons of freight were transported from Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing with 845 freight trains and 15 thousand 255 wagons in the last year. Of these trains, 451 headed towards Europe and 394 headed towards Asia and most of them carried export cargo.
Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, which provides uninterrupted rail transportation between Asia and Europe, serves public transportation between Gebze and Halkali during daytime and intercity passenger transportation with high-speed trains, and domestic, international and transit freight transportation at night.
International trains coming from the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line and the Middle Corridor and continuing to Europe and all of the export trains sent from the Thrace Region to the Middle East pass between the continents from the Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing between 00.00 and 05.00, when passenger transportation is not available.
In addition to international trains, freight trains from many different points in Anatolia reach factories and industrial zones in Istanbul and Thrace using the Marmaray Line.
In addition, cargoes are transported to European countries by rail over Kapikule and to other countries by sea via Tekirdag Asya Port Port.
Similarly, in the opposite direction, import cargoes coming from Europe by rail and arriving by sea to Tekirdag Asian Port Port are transported to Anatolia by passing through Marmaray.
In the year that has passed since the launch of regular services, an average of 4 freight trains, 2 from Asia to Europe and 2 from Europe to Asia, continue to pass by an average of 4 freight trains per day, up to 7 per day, depending on the load density.
Freight train capacity can be up to 21 pairs of trains per day between 00.00-05.00 when there are no passenger trains on the Marmaray Line.
Golden ring of the Middle Corridor
The passing of the Chinese transit train from the Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, which has been regularly launched every day since April 17, 2020, was a milestone in international rail freight transportation. The first transit train from China to Europe reached Turkey in 12 days using the Middle Corridor and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line, which is called the Iron Silk Road, and in 18 days to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic with the Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing.
Considering that 5 thousand trains travel from this line, known as the Northern Railway Corridor, which passes through Russia between China and Europe, which is currently the production center of the world, is expected to bring some of these to Europe via the Middle Corridor, which means Turkey, will bring Turkey to an important position in logistics.
With Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, cost decreased, time saving was achieved
With the Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, a significant advantage has been achieved in terms of transportation costs and time while entering a historical period in freight transportation.
Before Marmaray, there were many problems in freight transportation, which was provided by transfer by sea, due to the high transportation costs and time loss, as well as the limited capacity of the ferries.
The Marmaray Bosphorus Tube Crossing, which connects the two continents at a depth of 60 meters of the Bosphorus, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line and the Middle Corridor constitute the main elements of the logistics planning of the future in the logistics sector not only in Turkey but also throughout the world.
Source: AA / Translated by Irem Yildiz