Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu came together with young people at the Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Youth Assembly Academy Program and shared Türkiye's huge investments in the field of transport and infrastructure and strategic projects for the future with a detailed presentation. 1 Uraloğlu emphasized the strategic importance of Türkiye's geographical location and conveyed to young people the critical role it plays in regional and global trade.
Türkiye's Strategic Location and Trade Corridors
Minister Uraloğlu stated that Türkiye is at the center of 4 countries with a gross national product of 51 trillion dollars and an annual trade volume of approximately 25 trillion dollars, within a 67-hour flight distance, and said, “Since the foundation of the world and the development of trade, we have been at a very important place on the route from the Historical Silk Road to the Modern Silk Road on the east-west axis.” He emphasized that Türkiye is also one of the countries at the center of the Middle Corridor extending from the Far East to Europe.
Development Road and Zangezur Corridor: New Axes of Regional Trade
Uraloğlu, who also provided information about the Development Road Project, stated that this project, which will start from the Persian Gulf and open to Europe, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Aegean via Turkey, will make a great contribution to Türkiye's trade and development. He stated that the talks with the Iraqi Prime Minister and his delegation were progressing positively and that the project will be a strategic corridor.
He emphasized that the Zangezur Corridor is an important route that will connect Türkiye to the Turkic world, the Far East and the Turkic Republics, extending directly from Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan.
Three Seas Initiative and Türkiye's Strategic Partnership
Reminding that the Three Seas Initiative covers a route from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea and that Türkiye is a strategic partner of this initiative, Uraloğlu stated that this important partnership was achieved with the intensive contacts of President Erdoğan and the efforts of the Ministry.
Highway Investments: Divided Highways and Motorway Network
Stating that Türkiye has undergone a significant transformation in highway investments, Uraloğlu said that in 2002, there were only 6 kilometers of divided roads and 101 provinces were connected to each other, and today, 7 kilometers of divided roads have been built and 29 provinces are connected to each other. He emphasized that the average travel speed has approached 734 kilometers from 77 kilometers.
Uraloğlu, who said that the highway network is also developing, noted that the current 3-kilometer highway length will reach 800 kilometers with ongoing and planned projects. He touched on the importance of Kırıkkale-Ankara, Istanbul projects, Antalya-Alanya, Mersin Kızkalesi and Hatay İskenderun highways.
Award-Winning Projects and Engineering Success
Uraloğlu stated that not only functionality but also technical and aesthetic elements were taken into consideration in the works, and reminded that many projects such as the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, Osmangazi Bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Zigana Tunnel and Eğiste Hadimi Viaduct received international awards. He drew attention to the width of the tunnels on the Northern Marmara Highway and emphasized that this highway has a vital importance for Istanbul and Turkey. He gave the example of the Istanbul-İzmir Highway, saying that travel time has decreased from 8,5 hours to 3-3,5 hours and that such projects mean planning for the future. He also added that the structures were built to be earthquake resistant.
Railway Network and Türkiye Tour Dream
Uraloğlu, who stated that the conventional railway network is approximately 11 kilometers and the high-speed train network has increased this length to 600 kilometers, stated that the railway network will expand even more with the completion of the ongoing 14-kilometer works in 4. He gave the good news that a tour of Turkey can be made by railway in 2028 hours with the completed and planned projects. He also announced that the super-fast train line planned between Ankara and Istanbul will reduce the travel time to 48 minutes.
Great Leap Forward in Aviation and New Airports
Uraloğlu, who noted that they increased the number of airports in Türkiye from 26 to 58 and that this number will reach 60 with the completion of Bayburt-Gümüşhane and Yozgat airports, gave examples of the number of passengers, which was 2003 million in 34, exceeding 2024 million in 230 and the passenger figures of Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen and Antalya airports, revealing the point Türkiye has reached in aviation. He stated that there is a new airport project in Trabzon and that the passenger capacity of the current airport will be increased to 10 million.
Developments in Maritime and Communications
He stated that 100 out of 4 container ports in maritime are in Türkiye and that the Filyos Port built in the Black Sea will be opened to commercial transportation. Uraloğlu also touched on the breakthroughs in the field of communication and reminded of the Çamlıca Tower where 100 radio channels can broadcast and the similar project in Trabzon Boztepe. He stated that with the commissioning of the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite, Türkiye's effectiveness in space increased and the coverage area increased from 3,5 billion people to 5 billion people, security was ensured in civil and official communication and the quality of television broadcasting increased. He noted that 5G technology was tested in stadiums and will be put into general use in 2026.
Family Year Discounts and Cybersecurity in Transportation
He reminded that as part of the family year discounts, newly married couples will receive a 50 percent discount on trains and families a 15 percent discount, while intercity buses will receive a 40 percent family discount. He emphasized the importance of protecting systems against cyberattacks by referring to the use of artificial intelligence in transportation and infrastructure, and said that 17 million IP addresses are constantly scanned and hundreds of malicious attack attempts are prevented daily with USOM.
Social Media and Youth Protection
Uraloğlu, who drew attention to the high social media usage in Türkiye compared to the population, stated that they were considering making regulations to protect the family structure and young people, and that their aim was not to restrict freedoms but to provide access under the right conditions. He stated that they were working on measures such as parental permission for the protection of children, especially between the ages of 13-16, and that they were discussing this issue with the platforms. He warned young people against illegal VPNs.
Local and National Software in Transportation
Talking about artificial intelligence applications in the field of transportation, Uraloğlu said that cyber security is provided with domestic software such as Avcı, Azad, Kasırga and Atmaca, and that domestic and national software called İRADE and ÇARE are used in railways, train operation and airlines.
Huge Transportation Investments Made in Trabzon
Minister Uraloğlu, who recently explained the 174,4 billion lira transportation investment made in Trabzon, provided information about the implementation of many projects from the Black Sea Coastal Road to the Zigana Tunnel and the ongoing Trabzon Southern Beltway and Trabzon City Crossing-Kanuni Boulevard projects. He said that the urban rail system project will extend from Akçaabat to Yomra and that the project is aimed to be completed this year and construction to begin next year. He also announced the good news that the project work for the Samsun-Sarp High Speed Railway Project has begun.
