Construction of Halkalı-Kapıkule Railway Line Çerkezköy-Kapıkule (ÇE-KA) Section Project’s “First Rail Welding” Ceremony Was Successfully Held

The biggest  project of Sectoral Operational Programme for Transport (USOP)  - Construction of the Halkalı-Kapıkule Railway Line Çerkezköy-Kapıkule (ÇE-KA) Section project’ first rail welding ceremony was held on 8 June 2022. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Adil Karaismailoğlu; Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations for Türkiye, Henrike Trautmann; Governor of Edirne Hüseyin Kürşat Kırbıyık; Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Enver İskurt; Deputy Director of Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Metin Akbaş; Directorate General of Infrastructure Investments Yalçın Eyigün; Head of Operating Structure and Director- General of European Union and Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Burak Aykan, General Manager of TCDD Transport (TCDD Taşımacılık AŞ) Hasan Pezük, representatives of the contractor companies, media and guests attended the ceremony.

The speakers of the first rail welding ceremony of the Çerkezköy-Kapıkule Railway Line, which is the European connection of the Iron Silk Road reaching from London to Beijing, the Deputy Director-General of Turkish State Railways (TCDD) Metin Akbaş, Head of Operating Structure and Director- General of European Union and Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Burak Aykan addressed the importance of the project. Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations for Türkiye Acting Director Henrike Trautmann emphasized in her speech the project’ importance as being a concrete example of the EU Green Deal and Global Gateway facilitating people to people connection additional to its  expected generation of €1.7 billion worth of economic and social benefits. The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu stated that he was pleased to come all together at the first rail welding ceremony of the ÇE-KA project, which will allow an increase in capacity in freight and passenger transportation between the European Union and Türkiye when completed.

Minister Karaismailoğlu emphasised that when the project is completed, it will be possible to carry passengers and freight on the 229-kilometre route between Halkalı and Kapıkule, with double lines, at a speed of 200 km/h. He also stated that "When the project that will connect Bulgaria, Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ and Istanbul to the high-speed train network is in service, the distance between Halkalı and Kapıkule will decrease from 4 hours to 1 hour 30 minutes, and freight transport distance from 6.5 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes”.  Minister Karaismailoğlu said they shaped investments by dedicating them to a planned, realistic, and determined vision with the mind of the state.

After the speeches, Minister Karaismailoğlu and Trautmann carried out the rail welding. With a total budget of EUR 553 million, where the European Union provides EUR 275 million, Çerkezköy-Kapıkule (ÇE-KA) project is being built as a double-track line of 153 kilometres in total length. It aims to reach a capacity of 10 million passengers and 3.6 million tons of freight.