ISTANBUL
Turkey plans to invest between $1.2 and $1.7 billion more on road development than on its rail system this year, ahead of anticipated increased spending on its train network in 2016.
Lutfi Elvan, Turkey’s transport minister, said on Thursday that investment in railways would exceed those on land routes next year.
“This year, we will invest more on land routes. We will spend 3-4 billion Turkish liras more on routes than railways. Turkey will spend close to 10 billion liras to railways this year.
“Next year, investment in railways will exceed that in land routes,” Elvan said during a speech to a group of prominent Turkish businessman in Istanbul. Elvan did not give any figure on planned investments next year.
Elvan claimed that public and business circles put much more emphasis on railways and speed trains.
Turkey aims to reach its goal of 25,000 kilometers of rail line – including 3,500 kilometers of high-speed train railway and 8,500 kilometers of regular railway – by 2023, the centenary anniversary of the Turkish Republic.
Saying that railway and land routes links with neighboring countries will be upgraded, Elvan added that there would be railway links between Istanbul and Kapikule, a border area between Bulgaria and Turkey.
Speaking on fourth-generation mobile telephone services, Elvan – who is also communications minister – said his ministry planned to finish a bidding process during the first quarter of 2015.
“I believe Turkey will switch to a 4G network,” he said.
