High-speed train line connecting 4 provinces is coming: 6.5-hour journey will drop to 2 hours and 15 minutes
Construction is underway on the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project, which covers 4 provinces. Once the 312-kilometer-long line is completed, the current 6.5-hour travel time is expected to be reduced to 2 hours and 15 minutes.
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Work continues on the high-speed train project covering Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, and Gaziantep. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu conducted inspections at the tunnel crossing in Tarsus and provided information about the project.
According to the project, the line is being built with a total length of 312 kilometers. The railway line, which is planned to be suitable for speeds of 200 kilometers per hour, is also expected to be extended in different directions in the future.
TARSUS CROSSING IS BEING MOVED UNDERGROUND
It is planned to move approximately 2,400 meters of the line through the city of Tarsus underground. With this arrangement, it is aimed to reduce the impact of the existing line within the city and to open the upper section for different uses.
Minister Uraloğlu made the following statements regarding the matter:
“Our railway currently has a structure that, in a sense, divides our city in two. It is a region with many level crossings. In our assessment here, with the idea that our people should be able to walk to the station with their suitcases and board the train, and also to avoid disrupting life as much as possible, we have completely moved a 2,400-meter section underground, turning the section above it into an area that will allow for the integration of life and the conduct of social activities.”
The line between Mersin and Adana is planned to be completed by the end of the year, followed by the start of the testing process. The line is expected to be opened for service in the subsequent phase.
Regarding this process, Uraloğlu said, “We hope to finish the section between Mersin and Adana by the end of this year, and we plan to conduct tests and open it for service in the first months of next year.”
TRAVEL TIME WILL BE SHORTENED
When the project is completed, the travel time between Mersin and Gaziantep is expected to drop from approximately 6.5 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes. The line is estimated to reach an annual capacity of over 3 million passengers and approximately 37 million tons of freight.