Türkiye Extends High-Speed Rail Network To Bulgarian Border

Türkiye, October 2026 — Türkiye has opened the Çerkezköy–Kapıkule section of the Halkalı–Kapıkule railway, establishing a high-speed rail connection to the country’s border with Bulgaria. The 153-kilometre section is the longest part of the 229-kilometre railway corridor linking Istanbul’s western outskirts with Kapıkule, near Edirne.

The double-track line is electrified and equipped with signalling systems, with infrastructure designed for operating speeds of up to 200 km/h. The project also includes new station buildings at Babaeski, Lüleburgaz and Büyükkarıştıran, alongside reconstruction works at Edirne and Kapıkule stations. Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne have now been connected to Türkiye’s high-speed rail network, bringing the number of provinces served by high-speed rail to 14.

The completed corridor is expected to reduce passenger journey times between Halkalı and Kapıkule from approximately four hours to one and a half hours. Freight transit times are projected to fall from eight and a half hours to three and a half hours, improving the movement of goods between industrial centres in northwestern Türkiye and European markets.

Capacity is also expected to increase significantly. Annual passenger capacity along the corridor is projected to rise from 600,000 to approximately three million, while freight capacity is expected to grow from 1.5 million tonnes to 9.5 million tonnes. The railway is intended to improve access to European markets for industrial zones and ports around Istanbul, Kocaeli and Tekirdağ.

Co-financed by Türkiye and the European Union, the railway forms part of the Trans-European Transport Network and supports the wider Middle Corridor linking Asia and Europe through Central Asia, the Caucasus and Türkiye. Its opening strengthens a strategic cross-border connection for passenger mobility and freight logistics, while contributing to broader efforts to shift more transport activity towards rail.

Source: Daily Sabah