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Türkiye has started construction of a 224-kilometer (139.19-mile) railway line that will integrate the country into an alternative land route between China and Europe, bypassing Russia, according to a report from Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (FISU) cited by Ukrainian media outlet RBC-Ukraine.
The new railway line will become part of the Zangezur Corridor, a planned rail and road connection designed to link Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhchivan through southern Armenia.
The project, valued at $2.8 billion, is scheduled for completion by 2029.
The railway line will have the capacity to transport up to 15 million tons of cargo and approximately 5.5 million passengers annually. Construction will include five tunnels totaling 20 kilometers in length, three viaducts and dozens of bridges.
The route will directly connect Türkiye with Nakhchivan through Azerbaijan, strengthening Ankara's transportation significance in the region.
The project is expected to create up to 15,000 jobs and could boost eastern Anatolia's economy by 5%-7%, according to the report. The new line will reduce delivery times for goods from Asia to Europe by 10-15 days.
"Most importantly, it displaces cargo flows from Russian and Iranian routes, undermining Moscow's position in the Eurasian transport market," Ukraine's intelligence service explained in its assessment.
1 min read
The Zangezur Corridor railway represents a significant shift in Eurasian trade dynamics, offering an alternative to traditional routes through Russia and Iran.
The project positions Türkiye as a crucial transit hub for goods moving between Asia and Europe, potentially reshaping regional trade patterns for decades to come.
4 min read
