Uraloğlu, who came to Afyonkarahisar to inspect the works on the Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Train Line Project, received information about the works at the Bayat-1 tunnel in the Bayat district and the V01 Viaduct in the city center.
During his speech there, Uraloğlu said they organized a field program to see the current situation of the Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Train Project.
Stating that they have been conducting inspections along the route and receiving information from their colleagues about the project, Uraloğlu said, “Earthworks, viaduct, bridge, and tunnel works are continuing at full speed between Polatlı and Afyonkarahisar on the high-speed train line. As of now, we have completed half of the 660-meter Bayat-1 tunnel. Hopefully, we will finish its excavation within May.”
Similarly, pointing out that works are progressing rapidly on the 2,208-meter-long V1 Viaduct north of Afyonkarahisar, Uraloğlu stated:
“We will soon start infrastructure works such as electrification and signaling on the Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Train line. We have achieved 63% physical progress in the infrastructure works of the 180-kilometer section, which includes Banaz-Eşme, Eşme-Salihli, and Salihli-Manisa, constructed by the Turkish State Railways General Directorate. We aim to complete a portion of our project in 2026 and the entire project by 2027. Within the scope of the 508-kilometer-long project, we have designed 10 stations including Emirdağ, Afyonkarahisar, Uşak, Alaşehir, Salihli, Manisa, Muradiye, Ayvacık, Emiralem, and Menemen. We are constructing 49 tunnels with a total length of 40.7 kilometers, 67 viaducts with a total length of 25.5 kilometers, 81 bridges, 781 culverts, and 177 overpasses and 244 underpasses. Upon completion of the Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Train Project, the distance between Ankara and Izmir, currently 824 kilometers via existing railway connection, will decrease to 624 kilometers. The travel time between Ankara and Izmir, currently 14 hours, will decrease to 3 hours and 30 minutes.”
“When the project is completed, 13 million of our citizens will directly benefit from high-speed train comfort,” said Uraloğlu, emphasizing that the Ankara-Izmir route will be 624 kilometers long upon completion of the project. “Since our work started after the high-speed train line to Polatlı, we express it as 508 kilometers. The design speed of the line to be used in the 508-kilometer-long project is 250 kilometers per hour. When our line is fully operational, approximately 13 million of our citizens living in Ankara, Afyonkarahisar, Uşak, Manisa, and Izmir will directly benefit from high-speed train comfort.”
Uraloğlu stated that the travel time between Ankara and Afyonkarahisar will be reduced to 1 hour and 40 minutes, adding, “The travel time between Ankara and Uşak will decrease from 6 hours and 50 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes, between Ankara and Manisa from 11 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 50 minutes, and between Ankara and Izmir to 3 hours and 30 minutes. When our line is completed, we expect to carry approximately 13.3 million passengers and 90 million tons of freight annually. Thus, by bringing Izmir, which is the third-largest city in our country with its industry, tourism potential, and port, and the cities of Manisa, Uşak, and Afyonkarahisar on the route closer to Ankara, we will also increase the trade volume in the region.”
“We made our country the 6th in Europe and the 8th in the world in high-speed train operation,” said Uraloğlu, explaining that they have implemented major projects to increase freight and passenger transportation rates on railways. “We have invested $57 billion in railways in 22 years. We have renewed the existing conventional railway line. We increased our railway length from 10,948 kilometers in 2002 to 13,919 kilometers. We have also built 2,251 kilometers of high-speed and fast train lines. We raised our railway network to 13,919 kilometers. We introduced our country to high-speed train operation and made it the 6th in Europe and the 8th in the world. We have turned railway journeys, which were not preferred by citizens for many years, into the first choice for those who want fast and comfortable travel.”
Uraloğlu stated that they have carried 85 million passengers since the introduction of high-speed trains in 2009.
He also emphasized that they have included the Ankara-Istanbul Super High-Speed Train Line Project in their agenda. “The route length of our super high-speed train line will be 344 kilometers. With our trains reaching a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, we plan to reduce the travel time to 80 minutes. We have also included the North Marmara High-Speed Train line project, which will start from Gebze, pass through the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, reach Istanbul Airport, and finally reach Çatalca, in our plans.”
Stating that railways have caught up with the changes required by the era and gained a dynamic structure, Uraloğlu continued his words:
“In line with our goals for 2053, we plan to increase our railway network length to 28,590 kilometers. We aim to reduce the share of freight transportation, which is 72% on highways, and increase the share of railways from 5% to 22%. We plan to increase the annual average passenger number from 19.5 million to 270 million in passenger transportation. We will have realized another very large and important project for our country from dream to reality.”
source: aa.com.tr/ prepared by Melisa Beğiç