Ankara-Izmir high speed train to reduce travel time to 3.5 hours
A high-speed train passes through the Bostanci neighborhood, Istanbul, Türkiye, Oct. 31, 2022. (AA Photo)
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced plans on Tuesday to connect Ankara to Izmir via a high-speed train that would cut travel time between the two cities to three-and-a-half hours.
“God willing, we will connect Ankara to Izmir with the high-speed train. We will reduce the travel time between the two cities, which currently takes 14 hours, to just three-and-a-half hours,” Uraloglu said.
Uraloglu attended an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) program organized by the AK Party Ankara Provincial Directorate. Speaking at the event, the minister provided updates about the ministry’s ongoing projects.
He highlighted the significant infrastructure projects carried out across Türkiye, including in Ankara, and said: “We have completed various projects in all areas of transportation, including highways, railways, airways, communications, and maritime, across the country. In Ankara, we also completed many projects. We connected our city to all parts of the country through divided roads.
From east to west, and north to south, we have connected every direction with divided highways. We also connected Ankara to various regions across the country and many foreign destinations via air travel. Thanks to our efforts, we have successfully linked Ankara to Eskisehir, Istanbul, Konya, Karaman, and most recently, Yozgat by high-speed train.”
‘We have transported 97 million people with high-speed trains’
“We have transported 97 million of our citizens by high-speed train,” Uraloglu emphasized. He continued, “Now, by high-speed train, we will connect Ankara to Izmir. We will reduce the travel time from 14 hours to just three-and-a-half hours.
Additionally, with the Ankara-Nigde Highway, we have connected Ankara to places like Nevsehir, Nigde, and from there to the Mediterranean region, Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, all through highways.
We have also provided many services in the field of communications. I am aware that there are more requests, and we are organizing those with our provincial organization, provincial chairmanship, and MPs. We will continue to make progress.”
