Turkey holds a strategic geographic position in the transport system between Europe and Asia, and this is emphasised by constantly increasing trade, by launching infrastructure projects aimed at consolidating the position in the international transport system and by increasing freight transport flows. Likewise, Turkey is actively involved in international projects in the sector of infrastructure and freight transport services.
In 2011, Turkey’s trade ammounted to USD 375 Billion, out of which USD 240 Billion coming from the import activity and USD 135 Billion from exports, and by 2030 the authorities have established on the export segment an important increase estimated to USD 500 Billion and USD 620 Billion for imports.
Without having an optimised infrastructure, the authorities are aware that they cannot reach this objective, and for this purpose “state investments in the railway infrastructure increase every year compared to the level awarded to the other transport modes. “The state massively invests in its development, in order to increase the flows of railway traffic. For this purpose, in 2012, railway investments increased by 62% compared to 2011”, declared Cavit Uğur, Managing Director within the Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers in Turkey (UTIKAD), on the occasion of the Railway Days – Railway Investment Summit in the Wider Black Sea Area, organised by Club Feroviar and the Romanian Railway Industry Association.
In 2011, the state allocated to railway projects TRY 4.36 Billion (EUR 1.85 Billion), and in 2012 the investments amounted to TRY 7 Billion (EUR 3 Billion) and the authorities also pay a significant attention to the logistics sector, generating 32% of the total national investments. Likewise, the improvement of the business environment has determined increases of direct foreign investments, reaching USD 5.57 Billion (in January-May 2012), out of which approximately USD 2 Billion represented investments in the logistics sector. In order to meet transport demands, the infrastructure development strategy also aims at the construction of 19 logistics centres. 3 centres (Samsun, Denizli and İzmit) have already been commissioned and currently the construction works are being initiated for the centres in Eskisehir and Kayseri and design studies are being elaborated for other centres.
“In these points the execution of spaces meant for shunting processes, transfer and construction of warehouses and of other necessary facilities are planned and works that are initiated by the Railway Company (TCDD) with the private sector”, added Uğur.
Under the circumstances, Turkey engages more and more in the implementation of railway projects: one of the important projects for the Eurasian region is Baku-Tbilisi-Kars corridor, for which “the construction works on the section in the Turkish territory are 92% executed and by the end of the year the works will be completed. The corridor will become operational when the involved states will have completed the sections on their territories. Also, by the end of the year, Georgia will complete the works on its territory. In 2013, the corridor will become operational and initially a freight volume amounting to 3 million tonne will be transported, and on the long run, it is estimated to increase to 16.5 Million tonne by 2034”, explained Uğur.
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