For 2019, the investment programme of the Turkish Presidency stipulates the allocation of TRY 3.5 billion (EUR 570 million). Funds will be mostly dedicated to railway high-speed transport. This annual investment programme has been prepared by the Treasury, the Ministry of Finances and the Directorate for Strategy and Budget. According to the programme, an increase of exports of 7.1% was envisaged for 2019 to EUR 162 billion. Imports will increase by 3.4% to EUR 216 billion.
Therefore, it is estimated that the import/export commercial deficit will drop to EUR 55 billion. It is estimated that the export and import prices will increase by 1% in 2019. A budget of EUR 17 billion will be allocated next year to local administrations and state reserves with funds coming from interests.
Turkey has a high-speed railway network of 1.213 km, but also 2,317 km of conventional, fully-electrified railway. Currently, another 3.798 km of high-speed railway are being built creating important connections such as Ankara-Sivas, Sivas-Kars, Konya-Karaman, Halkalı-Kapıkule, Samsun-Kalın, Ankara-İzmir, Ankara-Bursa and Bursa–Bozüyük.
Antalya–Konya–Kayseri, Istanbul–Edirne–Kapıkule–Svilengrad (Bulgaria) and Ankara–Kayseri railways are in the documentation preparation phase which precedes the launch of the tendering procedures. By 2023, Turkey wants to have a high-speed railway network of 11,700 km.
Most probably, funds allocated for 2019 will not be used just for high-speed railways, but also for the procurement of new trains for these railways. Turkey should have launched the long-awaited tender for the procurement of 96 high-speed trains since April 2018, but it was postponed for further clarifications.
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