The 7th
Steering Committee Meeting within the scope of the “Strengthening Intermodal
Transport Services in Turkish Railway Sector (U-IMT)” Project, which is co-financed
by the EU under the Sectoral Operational Programme for Transport (USOP) managed
by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and for which the Strategy
Development Directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is the
End Beneficiary, was held on 29 April 2025.
The meeting
was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Transport and
Infrastructure, the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, the Presidency
Strategy and Budget Directorate, TCDD, TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş., other relevant
public institutions, NGOs and the contractor.
Opening
speeches were delivered by Mücahit Arman, Head of Strategy Development Directororate
of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; Tijen İğci (PhD), Head of
Department for EU Investments at the Directorate General for EU Affairs and
Foreign Relations; and Göktuğ Kara (PhD) Transport Sector Manager at the EU
Delegation to Türkiye.
During the
meeting, the current status of the project components, selection of priority
projects within the two main corridors (Kapıkule-Ahılkelek and Samsun-Mersin)
and the roadmap to be followed were discussed. Out of the total of 43 projects
prioritized through the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) method, three projects
for each corridor and two projects in the areas of digital platform and
technical consultancy were selected.
Participants
exchanged views on strengthening rail freight transport in line with strategic
goals, expanding intermodal transport, planning infrastructure investments, and
increasing private sector involvement.
The meeting
concluded with a consensus on increasing the feasibility of selected projects,
diversifying financing sources, and evaluating the next steps to be followed.