ECONOMY
Marmaray project to be completed by end of 2013, Turkish Transport Minister
Baku, February 22 (AZERTAC). “On October 29, 2013 - the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish republic - the 13.3km rail tunnel under the Bosphorus and city will open for business. The first phase of the Marmaray rail project will be completed to that time”, said Binali Yildirim, Turkish Minister of Transport, Communications and Maritime in his interview to Sabah newspaper.
The Marmaray project will provide Istanbul with a modern high-capacity 76.3km railway linking Halkali in the west with Gebze in the east, knitting Istanbul`s diverse collection of tram, light rail, light and heavy metro lines together to form an integrated network. The project involves rebuilding and upgrading Turkish State Railways` (TCDD) existing lines on each side of the Bosphorus and connecting them with the tunnel.
The Marmaray project will be another factor increasing the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It will connect the railways of Turkey and Europe and as a result, ensure the delivery of goods via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway to Europe.
“The implementation of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars new railway connection line project, construction of Bosporus railway under the Marmaray project that connect the Trans-European and Trans-Asian railway networks along the construction of the new Sea Trade Port at Alat settlement (Azerbaijan) in line with the advanced technologies would create the fast, safe and shortest railway connection to transport the goods to Europe and vice versa,” the minister added.
Work on the $US 3bn scheme started in August 2004 and was divided into three main elements.