Turkey's ports handle record cargo as officials push rail upgrades

Turkey's ports processed about 553.3 million tonnes of cargo and roughly 14 million TEU in 2025, placing several Turkish terminals among the world’s top 100 container handlers. TÜRKLİM President Hamdi Erçelik said total cargo handling rose 1.5% year‑on‑year, with outbound volumes down about 7% but inbound, transit and cabotage cargo up 1.8%, 3.9% and over 16% respectively. He called for stronger public‑private coordination and investment in ports, rail, road and digital infrastructure to boost Turkey’s share of transit traffic.

In Denizli, Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger chaired a meeting with TCDD officials, logistics firms and industry representatives to discuss fast‑train and electric‑locomotive projects. Participants urged inclusion of Denizli in high‑speed passenger and freight corridors linking Kayseri, Gaziantep, Konya and Sakarya, and highlighted the need to electrify the Denizli‑Izmir line, build a tunnel at Aydın Çamlık, and adopt a logistics‑company model similar to Manisa’s pilot scheme.