Wedoany.com Report-Dec 16, The project aims to increase rail freight capacity and improve connectivity between eastern and western regions.

The World Bank Board approved $660 million in financing to support Türkiye’s efforts to expand electric rail transportation that will help improve the efficient movement of goods across the country, boost exports, create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This project will reduce travel times and logistics costs and improve connectivity between western and eastern Türkiye.

The Eastern Turkey Middle Corridor Railway Development Project will contribute to the expansion and modernization of one of Turkey's oldest and most outdated sections of the existing limited railway network. It will replace diesel-powered trains and provide a 660km, fully electrified, modern railway linking Divriği in Sivas Province to Kars (near the Georgian border) in the country's north-east. It will span four provinces. It will significantly boost the well-being of nearly 600,000 people living along the railway's route, as well as local firms and farms.

The Divriği-Kars-Georgia border section is also a key element of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. This route links China, Central Asia, the Southern Caucasus, Turkey and the European Union by rail and sea. Once completed, the project will increase rail freight capacity from approximately 750,000 tonnes to 20 million tonnes per year, removing a major bottleneck in the Trans-Caspian Central Corridor.

“By modernizing and expanding rail connectivity, Türkiye can make progress towards several strategic goals, including boosting local economies and creating jobs in underserved areas, contributing to the country’s objective of becoming a logistics hub and decarbonizing the transport sector,” said Humberto Lopez, World Bank Country Director for Türkiye.