The Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section of the Halkalı-Kapıkule high-speed railway opened in Babaeski, Kırklareli. "Our line, with a design and operating speed of 200 kilometers per hour, was built as an electrified line. Travel time between Halkalı and Kapıkule will fall from four hours to one hour 30 minutes," Erdoğan said, calling it an artery linking Anatolia’s production to European markets.
The double-track, electrified and signaled 153-kilometer section, part of a 229-kilometer project, includes 31 bridges, eight tunnels, two viaducts and 114 crossings. Freight travel time will drop from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours, annual passenger capacity will rise from 600,000 to 3 million and freight capacity from 1.5 million to 9.5 million tons.

Erdoğan said Türkiye’s rail network has reached 13,919 kilometers, with a target of 28,590 kilometers by 2053.
After the ceremony, President Erdoğan took the controls himself for a test run on the new line, with members of the delegation joining him in the driver’s cab.