Istanbul-Edirne travel time to drop to 1.5 hours! A new era for the Halkalı-Kapıkule line

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the 153-kilometer Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section of the Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line will be opened for service on Friday, October 9. It was reported that the opening ceremony will be conducted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Uraloğlu stated that with the activation of the line, the high-speed train network will reach from Çerkezköy to Kapıkule, up to the European border. The Minister noted that with the inclusion of Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, and Edirne in the high-speed train network, the number of provinces directly connected to this network will increase from 11 to 14.

The section, which will be used for both passenger and freight transport, was built to accommodate an operating speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Within the scope of the project, a double-track, electrified, and Level-1 signaled infrastructure was established.

According to the information shared by Minister Uraloğlu, the line includes 31 bridges, 8 cut-and-cover tunnels, 2 viaducts, 114 underpasses and overpasses, and 175 culverts. A total of 353 kilometers of rail laying has been completed in the Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section.

TRAVEL TIME AND CAPACITY WILL INCREASE

With the completion of the line, the passenger travel time between Halkalı and Kapıkule is targeted to drop from 4 hours to 1.5 hours. It was announced that the freight transport time will decrease from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours.

Stating that the current line capacity will be increased fourfold, Uraloğlu said that the annual passenger capacity will rise from 600 thousand to approximately 3 million, and the annual freight capacity will increase from 1.5 million tons to 9.5 million tons.

Noting that work continues on other stages of the project, Uraloğlu reported that construction activities are ongoing on the Ispartakule-Çerkezköy stage and the section that will connect Ispartakule to Halkalı. With the completion of all stages, the line is expected to strengthen Turkey's role in Europe-Asia railway transport.

News Source: 12punto