World Bank allocates $660 million for development of Turkish section of TITR railway

The World Bank Board has approved $660 million in financing to support Türkiye's efforts to develop electric railway transport.

Report informs, citing the bank's announcement, that the decision was made on December 5, 2024. The funds will be used to improve railway connections in Eastern Türkiye, on the Divriği-Kars section, which is part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, Middle Corridor).

The project involves replacing diesel trains with electric ones and complete electrification and modernization of the 660-kilometer railway section between Divriği in Sivas and Kars on the Georgian border. The project will connect four provinces - Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum, and Kars - and is expected to benefit approximately 600,000 residents along the route. It also aims to provide significant support to local businesses and agricultural enterprises.

"After the project's completion, railway freight capacity will increase from approximately 750,000 tons to 20 million tons annually, eliminating a major bottleneck on the TITR," the information states.

The project is also expected to prevent 72,332 tons of carbon emissions annually by 2030, with this figure projected to increase to 245,835 tons annually by 2060.

The total project cost is estimated at $800 million.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, is an international transport route that runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and further to Türkiye and European countries. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is part of this corridor.