The new investment of Volkswagen in Turkey has carried the “freight trains through Marmaray” topic to top.

Though it’s not officially announced yet, Volkswagen is expected to prefer Turkey for its new plant investment. With its strong rail and port connections, Manisa seems the most possible location in Turkey. Thus TCDD Tasimacilik has started working on trains between Europe and Manisa.

The most interesting point about this topic is the Marmaray pass. For the trains between Manisa and Europe, Marmaray is being talked, rather than the ferry connection between Tekirdag and Bandirma, which is under construction for a long time. It’s written in media that Volkswagen was already given rail freight rates based on Marmaray pass.

Freight trains are expected to pass through Marmaray after midnight till morning, where suburban trains do not run. On the other hand, Istanbul Municipality recently started after-midnight services in metros and Marmaray suburban trains were also discussed. If freight trains start, night services may not be possible for Marmaray.

Cover photo: Onur Uysal ©