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Turkey opens Çerkezköy-Kapıkule high-speed rail line

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2026-10-10 21:31 UTC → 2026-10-11 10:47 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkey has officially inaugurated the 153-kilometer Çerkezköy-Kapıkule section of the Halkalı-Kapıkule High-Speed Train Line. The opening ceremony, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, marks a significant milestone in strengthening the Middle Corridor connection between Asia and Europe. This new section, the longest part of the 229-kilometer project, extends the high-speed network to the Bulgarian border and brings the provinces of Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, and Edirne into the system. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu described the line as a “strategic asset” that strengthens the Middle Corridor and enhances international transit logistics. Following the inauguration in the Babaeski district, passenger services have officially commenced from Edirne Station. The service currently includes six daily high-speed train trips in each direction, with scheduled stops at Büyükkarıştıran, Lüleburgaz, and Babaeski stations. The electric trains operate at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour and offer a capacity of 221 passengers per train. Additionally, two regional train services continue to operate between Halkalı and Uzunköprü. Designed ~~for speeds of 200 kilometers per hour, the line features~~ with double tracks, electrification, and Level-1 signaling, the line features 31 bridges, 8 open-cut tunnels, 2 viaducts, and 114 underpasses and overpasses. The European Union contributed 275 million euros to the project. The line ~~is expected to drastically improve efficiency:~~ has already reduced passenger transit between Çerkezköy and Edirne ~~has been reduced~~ to 54 minutes from previous durations of approximately four ~~to four and a half~~ hours. Once the entire Halkalı-Kapıkule project is completed, total travel time between Istanbul and the Kapıkule border is expected to drop from 4 hours to 1.5 hours, while freight transit will decrease from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours.

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