811 km of railway is electrified in Turkey within 3 years.

According to network statement of 2021 recently published, the electrified non-HST network of Turkey has reached to 3128 km. It was 2317 km in 2018 statement.

TCDD has a target to electrify all network in 2023. Below map shows the electrified conventional rail network based on the statement.

In the new map, Halkali-Gebze route can be seen as electrification completed. This is the remaining part of Marmaray. Now both passenger and freight trains can go through.

In the same period, most of the electrification works in Aegean region is also completed. There’s only one line works continue, Torbali-Tire-Odemis, which had started afterwards.

The electrification works were ongoing in 3 directions from Kayseri, where both west-east and north-south corridor intersects. Half of the works to Ankara, most of the works to Sivas (including Kayseri-north-pass) and all to Adana are completed.

The Mersin-Konya stretch will be completely electrified as Karaman-Ulukisla and Yenice-Mersin sections are completed

Another important section where electrification works continue is Cetinkaya-Sivas-Hanli. When this part is completed, Sivas will most probably be the interchange terminal between electric and diesel locos.

Here below are the non-HST electrified rail lines:

So 811 km more has been electrified since mid 2017 (2018 network statement), increasing from 2317 km to 3128 km.

The rail lines that electrification works continue are as follows:

As all these works are completed, the total distance of electrified conventional lines will reach to 3902 km. By then, half of the conventional lines will be electrified.

In addition to conventional lines, all HST lines (Istanbul-Ankara, Polatli-Konya and Ankara-Sivas are also electrified. Last is now under construction and is planned to open within this year.

Cover photo: Steve Hobson ©