Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said Türkiye plans to increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028, with a long-term goal of enabling travel across the country within 48 hours by 2053.
He highlighted the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway, which is expected to strengthen rail connectivity between Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
According to him, Türkiye has expanded its transport network through divided highways, motorways, high-speed rail lines, ports, airports, logistics centers and communications infrastructure, adding that railways have been treated as a state policy since 2002.
The minister said railway investments have transformed not only transportation but also the economy and urban development.
According to Uraloğlu, Türkiye's railway network has grown from approximately 11,000 km in 2002 to nearly 14,009 km today, including 2,251 km of high-speed rail lines.
He said the government has invested $355 billion in transport and infrastructure over the past 24 years, describing the spending as historic.
The government aims to expand that figure to 608 km by 2028, while increasing the number of logistics centers from 13 to 25.
The minister said the country's total railway network is projected to reach 17,287 kilometers by 2028 and 28,590 kilometers by 2053. Construction is currently underway on 4,164 km of new railway lines.
"We will increase the number of provinces directly connected by high-speed rail from 11 to 27 by 2028," Uraloğlu said.
Looking further ahead, he said the government's long-term vision is to connect every part of Türkiye through high-speed rail.
"By 2053, we will connect every corner of our country with high-speed railway lines, allowing people to travel across Türkiye within 48 hours," Uraloğlu said.
