The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of €645.83 million (approximately $750 million) for a major railway project in Turkey. The funding will support the construction of a new 127-kilometer line designed to enhance transport and logistics links between Europe and Asia and strengthen Turkey’s position as a key regional transit hub.
The project, known as the Istanbul North Rail Crossing, is being implemented under a co-financing arrangement between the ADB and the World Bank. The new railway line will bypass the densely populated Istanbul metropolitan area and provide an additional crossing over the Bosphorus Strait. The line is expected to increase freight capacity, reduce delivery times, and improve the resilience of logistics corridors.
The ADB notes that the project is of strategic importance for the development of international transit. According to Lia Gutierrez, the bank’s Director General for Central and West Asia, the new railway infrastructure will make freight transport between Asia and Europe faster, more efficient, and more reliable. Furthermore, the line will integrate Turkey’s two largest airports into the railway network, creating additional opportunities for economic growth, investment attraction, and job creation.