Turkey is set to put into service the Çerkezköy–Kapıkule section of its high-speed railway network on October 9, 2026, connecting the country's existing high-speed lines to the Bulgarian border for the first time. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to preside over the opening ceremony, according to Hürriyet and Milliyet.
What is being opened
The new section runs 153 kilometres from Çerkezköy, in Tekirdağ province, to Kapıkule, on the Turkish-Bulgarian border, and forms the final and longest stage of the wider Halkalı–Kapıkule High-Speed Railway project linking Istanbul to the border. The double-track, fully electrified line is built for speeds of up to 200 km/h and uses Level-1 signalling, Milliyet and Hürriyet reported, citing the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
Construction included 31 bridges, 8 reversible tunnels, 61 overpasses, 53 underpasses and 175 culverts, according to Milliyet. New station buildings were completed at Kapıkule, Edirne, Lüleburgaz, Babaeski and Büyükkarıştıran, with expanded customs-processing facilities at the Kapıkule border crossing, Hürriyet reported.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the ministry was "extending our high-speed train network from Çerkezköy to Kapıkule, all the way to the European border," according to Novinite, the Sofia-based news agency.
Faster travel, more capacity
The line will bring three provinces — Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne — into Turkey's high-speed rail network for the first time, raising the number of cities directly served by high-speed trains from 11 to 14, Milliyet reported.
Halkalı–Kapıkule corridor: before and after| Metric | Before | After |
|---|
| Passenger travel time, Halkalı–Kapıkule | About 4 hours | About 1.5 hours |
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| Freight transit time | 8.5 hours | 3.5 hours |
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| Annual passenger capacity | 600,000 | 3.4 million |
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| Annual freight capacity | 1.5 million tonnes | 9.5–9.6 million tonnes |
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Milliyet and Hürriyet put the projected annual freight capacity at 9.6 million tonnes once the corridor is fully integrated, an increase of roughly sixfold from the current 1.5 million tonnes, both outlets reported.
EU funding and the Middle Corridor
The Halkalı–Kapıkule railway received €275 million in grant financing under the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II), making it the largest infrastructure project to date in EU-Turkey cooperation, Trend.az reported. RailFreight.com reported that the project is the first deliverable of the EU's cross-regional Connectivity Agenda, which aims to link Europe with the South Caucasus and Central Asia via Turkey's Middle Corridor route.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos is expected to attend the inauguration alongside Erdoğan and Uraloğlu, according to Trend.az. The railway connects at Kapıkule to Bulgaria's rail network across the border at Kapitan Andreevo, linking Turkey's system to the EU's, Novinite reported.
Background
The Halkalı–Kapıkule line was designed to replace a slower, single-track conventional railway between Istanbul and the Bulgarian border. Construction on the project began in 2019 and was jointly financed by Turkey and the European Union, Novinite reported. The Çerkezköy–Kapıkule segment was the largest remaining piece of the route still under construction before this week's opening.
Questions
- When is the Çerkezköy–Kapıkule high-speed railway due to open?
- The line is scheduled to open on October 9, 2026, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presiding over the inauguration, according to Hürriyet and Milliyet.
- How long is the new railway and how fast does it run?
- The section is 153 kilometres long, double-tracked and electrified, with a maximum design speed of 200 km/h, according to Milliyet and Hürriyet.
- How much faster will travel to the Bulgarian border be?
- Passenger travel time between Istanbul's Halkalı station and Kapıkule is expected to fall from about four hours to roughly 90 minutes, and freight transit time from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours, Milliyet reported.
- Is the European Union helping fund the project?
- Yes. Trend.az reported the Halkalı–Kapıkule railway received €275 million in EU grant financing under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II), and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos is expected to attend the opening.
- Which cities does the new line connect?
- The line will bring Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne into Turkey's high-speed rail network, raising the number of cities with direct high-speed service from 11 to 14, according to Milliyet.
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