ISTANBUL — Türkiye has launched the tender process for the Istanbul Northern Railway Crossing Project, a major infrastructure initiative that will carry rail traffic across the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and is expected to transport 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of freight annually once completed.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the design and construction tender for the project will be held on October 14, following the publication of the tender notice in the Official Gazette. The project will cover the construction of 122.3 kilometers of double-track railway, together with 4.7 kilometers of single-track connections, extensive tunnels, viaducts, bridges and stations.
The new railway corridor will run from Çayırova on the Marmaray line through Sabiha Gökçen Airport, cross the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, continue to Istanbul Airport, and terminate in Çatalca, where it will connect with the Halkalı–Çerkezköy High-Speed Rail Line. The project will provide the first direct rail connection between Istanbul’s two international airports.
According to Uraloğlu, the railway will operate around the clock, easing congestion on the Marmaray corridor while significantly increasing freight capacity along the Middle Corridor linking Asia and Europe. The minister said the line would strengthen Türkiye’s role as a regional logistics hub by expanding cross-continental rail transport capacity.
The project has secured preliminary financing commitments from six international financial institutions, totaling $6.75 billion, making it the largest externally financed railway investment in Türkiye’s history.
Once operational, the railway is expected to transform passenger mobility and freight logistics in the Istanbul metropolitan area, with annual capacity projected at 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of cargo, supporting both domestic transportation and international trade routes.
Source: Patronlar Dünyası/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök