Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made important statements regarding transport investments during programs he attended in Tekirdağ. Noting that test runs have begun on the Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Rail Project, Uraloğlu said they aim to open the Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section by the end of the year.
The minister also announced that with the completion of the Kınalı-Malkara Motorway, the travel time between Istanbul and Çanakkale will drop to 2 hours. Target year-end for Halkalı-Kapıkule high-speed train. Drawing attention to Turkey's strategic position in the Middle Corridor, Uraloğlu stated that the Halkalı-Kapıkule railway line is one of the most critical transport projects opening to Europe.
Noting that 44 kilometers of the 229-kilometer Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Rail Project pass through Tekirdağ, Minister Uraloğlu said that test runs have begun on the 153-kilometer Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section, the first phase of the project. Uraloğlu said, 'After our test runs, we aim to quickly complete the certification processes and put this section of our line into operation before the end of this year.'
Stating that work continues on the 69-kilometer Ispartakule-Çerkezköy section, Uraloğlu said the final section that will provide the Halkalı connection is planned to be completed next year. Travel time to drop from 4 hours to 1.5 hours. With the completion of the project, the passenger travel time between Halkalı and Kapıkule will drop from 4 hours to 1.5 hours, and freight transport time from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours.
While the annual passenger capacity will increase from 600,000 to 3.4 million, the freight transport capacity is targeted to rise from 1.5 million tons to 9.6 million tons. Uraloğlu said that with this investment, Thrace will become an important logistics hub in Europe-Asia railway transport.
Istanbul-Çanakkale to drop to 2 hours. Noting that construction work continues on the Kınalı-Malkara Motorway, one of the important projects for Tekirdağ, Uraloğlu said that when the motorway is completed, the travel time between Istanbul and Tekirdağ will drop to under 1 hour. Minister Uraloğlu said, 'The travel time between Istanbul and Çanakkale will drop from 3.5 hours to 2 hours.
Additionally, the northern front of the Marmara Motorway Ring will be fully connected,' he said. Velimeşe interchange to be undertaken by Highways. Also touching on the transport problem that arose after the level crossing in Velimeşe neighborhood was closed for safety reasons, Uraloğlu announced that the interchange to be built in the area will be undertaken by the General Directorate of Highways.
Uraloğlu said, 'Under the coordination of our governor, we, as the General Directorate of Highways, have undertaken the construction of the interchange with the necessary cooperation. May it be auspicious for our Tekirdağ region.'
'We are planning 2028, 2035, 2055; that's exactly what being a state is about.' Speaking at the AK Party Tekirdağ Provincial Advisory Council Meeting, Minister Uraloğlu also made assessments about the point Turkey has reached from the past to the present. Reminding that he came from a civil service background, Uraloğlu said, 'We know the times when we worried whether our money would be deposited in the ATM the next day, when salaries were not paid for a week or 10 days.
We have even planned for 2023. Whatever we said, we accomplished. We are planning 2028, 2035, 2055. That's exactly what being a state is about,' he said.
Uraloğlu also stated that transport investments are not just physical projects but strategic steps that support production, exports, employment, and regional development, and that investments will continue in line with Turkey's goal of becoming a hub country in global logistics.
