Türkiye has secured a preliminary $6.75 billion financing deal with six international lenders for a new rail line across the Bosphorus, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said, in what would be one of the country’s largest externally funded transport projects.
According to Uraloglu, lenders including the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development have shown strong interest in the Northern Peripheral Railway Project.
The proposed 125-kilometre line will run from the Marmaray network near Gebze, linking Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport and Halkalı, creating a new high-capacity transport corridor on the northern edge of Istanbul.
Officials say the project will ease pressure on the existing Marmaray route by separating freight and passenger flows while, for the first time, directly connecting the city’s two main airports by rail.
Construction to start shortly
Construction plans include 44 tunnels totalling more than 59 kilometres and 42 bridges spanning roughly 22 kilometres, underscoring the engineering scale of the undertaking.
Uraloglu said authorities aim to complete the tender process this year and begin construction shortly afterwards, adding that once finished, the line could carry up to 33 million passengers and 30 million tonnes of cargo annually.
The government argues the railway will significantly expand Türkiye’s rail capacity between Asia and Europe and position the country as a central logistics hub along emerging Eurasian trade routes.
