en.Wedoany.com Reported - Turkey and the European Union have announced the completion of the "Strengthening Multimodal Transport Services in the Turkish Railway Sector" project (U-IMT), which aims to enhance the competitiveness of Turkey's rail freight and increase the capacity of the Middle Corridor, the trans-Caspian route between Asia and Europe.
Turkey and the EU have made progress in rail freight and connectivity cooperation through the U-IMT project. The project's closing meeting was held on Tuesday, attended by Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos.
The Turkish minister noted that the project has yielded results in enhancing the competitiveness of Turkey's rail freight, increasing the capacity of the Middle Corridor, and deepening connectivity cooperation between Turkey and the EU. Uraloğlu stated that the outcomes of the U-IMT project will make rail freight more competitive, boost Middle Corridor capacity, and further deepen cooperation with the EU in the field of connectivity.
The U-IMT project, co-financed by the EU and Turkey, aims to improve multimodal freight transport services in the Turkish railway sector. Multimodal transport combines various modes such as rail, road, and maritime, using the same loading units (e.g., containers or semi-trailers). The project focuses on developing an action plan for multimodal freight transport services, identifying strategic infrastructure needs, and strengthening the institutional capacity of Turkey's transport management bodies to support the transition to a safer, more balanced, and lower-environmental-impact transport system. For Turkey, developing such services is closely linked to its role as a logistics hub between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The Middle Corridor, or the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, connects Asia and Europe via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, and Turkey. Its importance has grown in recent years due to the restructuring of logistics chains and increased interest in transport routes that bypass traditional geopolitical risks. Uraloğlu stated that Turkey will continue to advance projects that enhance national logistics capacity and strengthen trade corridors between the Gulf region and Europe. The U-IMT project is directly related to this strategy, as developing multimodal rail transport helps bolster Turkey's role in transshipment between Asia and Europe and in connecting Middle Eastern markets with Europe.
Ankara views the EU Enlargement Commissioner's attendance at the project's closing meeting as a sign of cooperation between Turkey and the EU in the field of connectivity. Uraloğlu thanked Marta Kos for her participation and contribution to Turkey-EU cooperation. For the EU, supporting Turkey's connectivity projects aims to develop safer, more efficient, and less polluting transport routes between Europe and Asia.
