The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, announced that the construction has been almost completed for a new suburban line connecting Yenikent city with Sincan (Organized Industrial Zone), and Kazan Soda facilities.
The line has been created by extending Başkentray to Yenikent being connected with Sincan – Yenikent – Kazan Soda rail.
The minister examined the ongoing works on the Sincan (OSB) – Yenikent – Kazan Soda railway project on site which, when completed, “will open the door to a major transformation in both passenger transport and freight services in Ankara.”
The construction company has built 16 km of tracks in total by now, as the project includes a 12 km long Başkentray suburban line starting from Sincan and extending to Yenikent, and the 4 km connection line from Yenikent to Kazan Soda facilities.
Türkiye has built a new double-track railway between Sincan and Yenikent, including three new stations and stops (OSB, Yenikent-1 and Yenikent-2 stations).
Through this link, the Başkentray suburban line to Yenikent has been extended meaning that will integrate the Başkentray suburban line to the 1st Organized Industrial Zone and Yenikent via Sincan station.
85% progress has been made in the infrastructure work of the project and 44% in the superstructure works, while 99% of work has been completed for 11cut-and-cover tunnels with a length of 2.2 km. In addition, 88% of the construction for four new bridges totalling 408 metres has been completed. Türkiye shipped 3,467 tonnes of the 3,560 tonnes of rail needed for the infrastructure.
“We will connect Yenikent’s population exceeding 600,000 to the metropolitan system with fast, safe, comfortable and economical public transport services. At the same time, we will carry 4.4 million tonnes of cargo per year thanks to the connecting line towards Kazan Soda facilities. The constructor made approximately 90 percent physical progress in the project and that aims to complete the infrastructure and superstructure works in the 3rd quarter of this year,” the Minister of Transport said.
To accelerate the project’s implementation, a tender for signalling and telecommunications systems will be launched in the 3rd quarter of this year. It is expected that the new suburban line will become operational for both passenger and freight traffic at the beginning of 2027.
This connecting line will have an important impact on the country’s economy ensuring the transport of soda ash produced at Kazan Soda Factory to the ports in an economic and fast way, exporting the cargo to the world market.
This new line will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions by shifting the soda ash currently transported by trucks towards railways. The project will not only increase transport capacity but also make a great contribution to regional development accelerating Türkiye’s access to international markets.
Kazan Soda Elektrik Uretim is the largest natural sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate producer in Europe. While the mining area is located in Kahramankazan district, the production plant is situated within the Sincan district of Ankara Province, 35 km northwest of Ankara. With an investment worth USD 2 billion, the facility has been inaugurated in 2018 and is producing sodium carbonate, which is the tenth most traded chemical in the world with a trade volume of USD 15 billion. Kazan Soda Production Plant, which meets 14% of the total natural sodium carbonate needs of the world makes a great contribution to close the current account deficit of Türkiye with its domestic and national production.
The Kazan Soda Elektrik consists of three sections, namely mining, processing and cogeneration. While the mining area is located in Kahramankazan district, the production plant is situated within the Sincan district of Ankara Province, northwest of Ankara. It is about 35 km (22 mi) north of Ankara.
Along with Sincan (OSB) – Yenikent – Kazan Soda railway project, Türkiye is continuing the construction of essential rail projects such as Halkalı – Kapıkule, Ankara – İzmir, Bandırma – Bursa – Yenişehir – Osmaneli, Mersin – Adana – Osmaniye – Gaziantep and Yerköy – Kayseri high-speed lines.
Türkiye incredibly achieved its rail development objective under which the length of the network increased from 11,000 km in 2002 to 14,000 km, by adding additional 3,000 km of high-speed rail lines.
By 2028, Türkiye plans to build new lines reaching a network of 17,500 km.
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