Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, in his speech at the Samsun City Hospital/Training and Research Hospital Tram Line Groundbreaking Ceremony, said that they will increase the city's 35.5 kilometer rail system network to 48.8 kilometers with the line.
Stating that they laid the foundation of the Samsun Çarşamba Airport New Domestic and International Terminal Building during the day, Uraloğlu noted that they put into service the new 42-meter-long, 7-module tram vehicles.
Stating that urban rail systems are important in terms of reducing traffic density, saving time, reducing the carbon footprint and supporting the economic development of cities, Uraloğlu said, "As the ministry, we built 452 kilometers of the 1058 kilometer urban rail system network in our country. Our work continues on the 145.2 kilometer line with our Samsun line, which we started today. We have a 253 kilometer line in the planning phase." he said.
SAMSUN'S RAIL SYSTEM NETWORK WILL INCREASE TO 48.8 KILOMETERS
Stating that the 35.5 kilometer tram line with 43 stations, which serves on the Ondokuz Mayıs University-Station-Stadium route in Samsun, will be extended by 13.3 kilometers with the new project, Uraloğlu stated that the new line will be connected to the existing system between Kılıçdede Station and Samsunspor Station, and will provide transportation to the City Hospital, Training and Research Hospital and Public Campus by rail system.
Uraloğlu said, "We planned 10 stations on the City Hospital Tram Line. In addition to this line, there will be 4 stations on our fishbone line, which is approximately 3.7 kilometers long, which will serve the Public Campus. We designed these stations to be integrated with both the existing city texture and other planned and developed transportation projects. With our new line, we will increase Samsun's rail system network from 35.5 kilometers to 48.8 kilometers. By building 14 stations on our new route "We will increase the number of stations to 57." he said.
TRAVEL TIME WILL BE REDUCED TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES
Stating that the project will provide direct service to the city hospital, which is expected to generate approximately 40 thousand personnel, patient and visitor movements every day, Uraloğlu stated that the line will also provide modern and uninterrupted rail public transportation to İlkadım, with a population of more than 322 thousand, and Canik districts, with a population of more than 100 thousand.
Stating that it is possible to travel approximately 9 kilometers from Samsunspor Facilities Station to City Hospital, Training and Research Hospital and Public Campus, Uraloğlu continued as follows:
"Today, the distance traveled by road on these routes is approximately 8 to 10 kilometers. Travel times approaching 1 hour, especially in the morning and evening when work and school trips are busy, will be taken in approximately 20 minutes in a comfortable and predictable manner, independent of traffic, when our tram line comes into operation. In the 30-year projection after the completion of our line, the economic gain from factors such as highway maintenance, operation and time savings will be approximately 100 million dollars."
Emphasizing that the line will not only be a new transportation connection, Uraloğlu said, "It will also be a strong urban investment that brings time, comfort and security to Samsun." he said.
- Approximately 120 billion lira investment in Samsun
Stating that, as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, they have invested approximately 120 billion lira in Samsun's transportation and communication infrastructure in the last 24 years, Uraloğlu stated that they ensured the integrity of the Black Sea Coastal Road by providing connection to Sinop and Sarp with divided roads.
Stating that the work on 8 highway projects, including Samsun Western Ring Road, Samsun City Hospital Road, Havza-Vezirköprü Road and Çarşamba-Ayvacık Road, continues, Uraloğlu noted the following regarding logistics investments:
"By putting into service the logistics center with an area of 258 thousand square meters in Gelemen, we created an additional capacity of 1.1 million tons for the logistics sector. We also completed our work on the approximately 7-kilometer junction line between Gelemen Logistics Village and Tekkeköy Logistics Village and integrated our two logistics centers. We also started our work on the construction of an approximately 3-kilometer-long junction line that will connect Havza OIZ to the railway network."
"THE BETWEEN ANKARA AND SAMSUN WILL BE REDUCED TO 2.5 HOURS"
Stating that Samsun's development in the rail system is not limited to urban investments, Uraloğlu also gave information about the work on the 293-kilometer Ankara-Kırıkkale-Çorum-Samsun High Speed Train Line.
Stating that they started the construction of the 120-kilometer Kırıkkale (Delice)-Çorum section, which is the first stage of the line, and that they held the tenders for the Çorum-Merzifon and Merzifon-Havza sections in April, Uraloğlu continued his speech as follows:
"We have started working to include the 70-kilometer section between Havza and Samsun in the 2027 Investment Program. In other words, the rails will move step by step to Havza and from there to Samsun. From Ankara-based perspective, this line is the first high-speed train passenger transportation project to the north of Türkiye. When completed, the time between Ankara and Samsun will be reduced to 2.5 hours, and 12 million passengers and 14 million tons of freight will be transported annually."
Stating that the line will connect Samsun Port to Mersin Port, Uraloğlu said:
"This corridor will open the Black Sea to the world via the Mediterranean, ease the burden on the straits, and transform our country into a stronger logistics center in global trade. The 509-kilometer Samsun-Sarp Railway following the line is also on our agenda. When we implement this project, we will have established a high-capacity, fast and environmentally friendly transportation network between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean via Samsun."
Uraloğlu thanked those who contributed to the implementation of the project and added that investments in Samsun's transportation infrastructure will continue.
After his program, Minister Uraloğlu inspected the Samsun Western Ring Road Construction Site and received a briefing about the works.
