Minister Karaismailoglu: 52 more provinces to have high-speed trains

By News Center

"We will give 1 trillion dollars to the national revenue and 2 trillion dollars to output with an investment of 198 billion dollars up to 2053. We'll add 28 million individuals to the labor force. There will be 52 provinces to be served by high-speed trains," Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said.

Adil Karaismailoglu said this at the 21st Century Municipalism Local Governments Summit while discussing the evolution of municipal services following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's election as mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 1994.

Karaismailoglu emphasized the significance of creating plans in municipalities and getting ready for the future while describing the changes in transportation, infrastructure, logistics, and informatics over the past 20 years, adding that the ministry is now planning for the future.

"With the money we spend, we need to gain profit as much as possible. Making effective plans is a must for success," he opined.

Karaismailoglu also added that the growth in car ownership from 8.6 million in 2002 to 26 million in 2017 resulted in significantly less traffic congestion.

In terms of automobile ownership, Turkey lags behind Europe and the USA, Karaismailoglu said, adding that he anticipated that this figure will increase by 2050 and that they are trying to create master plans to get prepared for a sharp rise.

"The usage of scooters and bicycles should be promoted," he added.

Adil Karaismailo?lu emphasized that the measures to reduce carbon emissions, adding that the issue will never be out of their agenda and that zero-emission and emission reduction studies are very important, and noted that smart transportation systems will gain more importance.

Karaismailoglu expressed his projections regarding the predicted rise in electric vehicles, shared transportation models, and electric public transportation models, pointing out that among other sectors, transportation ranks second in terms of air pollution production (16.2%).

The usage of scooters and bicycles for short distances should be promoted, according to Karaismailoglu.

"A top-notch, secure, and affordable public transit system must be established. Otherwise, it will be impossible to live in the cities. Istanbul's rail network is now made up of 270 kilometers. If this was not the case, how would the citizens meet their transport needs? The traffic would have gone so bad that they would start making lone trips," he explained.

"Marmaray carried exactly 671,000 people in one day."

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Karaismailoglu drew attention to the prospects for transportation between the two sides of Istanbul and recalled the complaints pertaining to 1973, and the opening of the 15 Temmuz Sehitler Koprus (Bosphorus Bridge) as well as subsequent transportation projects.

"Currently, 200,000 cars cross the 15 Temmuz Sehitler Koprus every day. The government planning is necessary because it anticipates future developments. The need for transportation is growing here. As a state, we must anticipate it to avoid issues later, " he added.

Karaismailoglu stated that an average of 60,000 cars pass through the Eurasia Tunnel each day, noting that 240, 000 vehicles use the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and 120, 000 vehicles use the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge daily.

Last week, 671,000 people utilized Marmaray in a single day, according to Karaismailoglu, who also said that these services have made it easier for people to travel and live their daily lives.

"We have begun an era of investment, primarily in railroads."

Adil Karaismailoglu reported that 183.6 billion dollars had been invested in communication and transportation over the previous 18 years and provided details on the investments made in various transportation service sectors.

"It is because of the investments we have made on the roadways, we save 1 billion liters of gasoline and 7 billion hours of time annually. Leaving these aside, our initiatives have resulted in an 80% reduction in traffic accidents. The targeted investments help us save the lives of 9,500 individuals annually," Karaismailoglu added.

Karaismailoglu stated that they entered a railway-based investment period through 2053 and that they are now running a 13,000,100 km railway.

According to Karaismailoglu, they have expanded the number of airports from 57 to 61 as a result of continuous development, and they have raised the number of passengers on the air route from 30 million to 210 million.

Karaismailoglu noted that they have made all of their plans and set ambitious goals till 2053 when referring to the beneficial impact of transportation investments on national income, employment, and output.

"There will be 52 provinces served by high-speed railways."

In addition to saying that the length of the divided road would be enhanced to 38,000 kilometers, the railway network will be expanded to 28, 600 kilometers, and the number of ports will be increased to 255, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Karaismailoglu said, adding that "we will give 1 trillion dollars to the national revenue and 2 trillion dollars to output with an investment of 198 billion dollars till 2053".

We'll add 28 million individuals to the labor force. There will be 52 provinces served by high-speed railways. Similarly, there are 19.5 passengers on trains annually. Thanks to the mobility we will provide, we will raise the number of passengers from 210 million to 344 million. From carrying 38 million tons of freight by rail to 448 million tons, we have developed plans to do so."

Istanbul will get two new metro lines before the year is over.

Minister Karaismailoglu recalled that the weekend saw the opening of the 25.5-kilometer-long, 16-station Gaziray, adding that "with this project, there is also a high-speed railway line. Our countrymen, who board the high-speed train from Kapkule in the upcoming four years using our high-speed rail lines that are now under development. The line between Istanbul, Ankara, Konya, Karaman, Mersin, and Gaziantep is being worked on feverishly. In the upcoming four years, we will have finished building this unbroken high-speed railway network,” he added.

According to Karaismailoglu, they have a sizable investment in Ankara.

"The AKM-Gar-Kizilay metro's final phase has finally been reached. We'll inaugurate the AKM-Gar-Kizilay metro in early 2023, addressing a critical Ankara requirement " he said.

Karaismailoglu claims that the Istanbul Airport-Kagithane section of the Istanbul Airport-Zincirlikuyu metro line will open at the end of this month or in early December. Independent businesses are now testing to get a signaling certificate.

The Basaksehir Cam and Sakura Hospital-Kayasehir line, which Karaismailoglu said would be inaugurated after it, was completed by the ministry 26 months after it took charge of the area, and it would be operating by the end of the year, he said.