Türkiye to open 153-km high-speed rail link to Bulgarian border

Türkiye is set to inaugurate the 153-kilometer Cerkezkoy-Kapikule section of the Halkali-Kapikule high-speed rail line on October 9. The project, which will be attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, extends the country’s high-speed rail network to the Bulgarian border.

Designed for speeds up to 200 kilometers per hour, the electrified double-track section includes significant infrastructure such as 31 bridges, eight tunnels, and two viaducts. The completion of this segment is expected to drastically reduce travel times: passenger journeys between Halkali and Kapikule will drop from 4 hours to 1.5 hours, while freight transit times will decrease from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours.

Capacity is projected to increase significantly, with annual passenger capacity rising from 600,000 to approximately 3 million, and annual freight capacity climbing from 1.5 million tons to 9.5 million tons. The expansion is intended to boost trade connectivity between Türkiye and European markets, particularly benefiting industrial zones and ports in Istanbul, Kocaeli, Tekirdag, and the Trakya region.