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Türkiye is set to inaugurate the 153-kilometer Cerkezkoy-Kapikule section of the Halkali-Kapikule high-speed rail line on Oct. 9, extending the country's high-speed rail network to Kapikule and the Bulgarian border.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced the opening in a written statement carried out by state-run Anadolu Agency, noting that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to attend the ceremony.
The section, which forms the longest part of the Halkali-Kapikule line, is ready to carry both passengers and freight.
Built for operating speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, the double-track, electrified section includes 31 bridges, eight cut-and-cover tunnels, two viaducts, 114 underpasses and overpasses, and 175 culverts.
A total of 353 kilometers of rail have been laid under the project.
The completed project is expected to sharply reduce travel times along the Halkali-Kapikule route. Passenger journeys will fall from 4 hours to 1.5 hours, while freight transit times will drop from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours.
Rail capacity will increase fourfold, with annual passenger capacity rising from 600,000 to about 3 million and annual freight capacity climbing from 1.5 million tons to 9.5 million tons, according to Uraloglu.
The line is also expected to improve access to European markets for industrial zones and ports in Istanbul, Kocaeli, Tekirdag and the wider Trakya region. In 2024, 86% of Türkiye's rail freight exports moved through this corridor, the minister noted.
The project also expands infrastructure at Kapikule, Türkiye's key rail crossing into Europe. The number of tracks at Kapikule station will rise from 23 to 42, while total track length will increase from 14,840 meters to 29,680 meters.
A roughly 2.4-kilometer section between Kapikule and the Bulgarian border will also be converted to double track.
The expanded infrastructure is designed to increase train acceptance and shunting capacity while speeding up customs and inspection procedures and reducing waiting times at the border.
Uraloglu described the Halkali-Kapikule line as a key European gateway for the Middle Corridor, linking Türkiye to the European rail network.
The route also forms the western end of the Development Road, which is planned to connect Iraq's Al Faw Port to Europe through Türkiye.
Construction continues on the Ispartakule-Cerkezkoy section and the section that will connect Ispartakule to Halkali.
Once all sections are completed, the government expects the line to further strengthen Türkiye's role in rail freight and passenger links between Europe and Asia.
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