Turkey has reopened a 350-kilometer railway line along its border with Syria following the completion of renovation work, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced on Monday.
The project covers the 325-kilometer Karkamış-Nusaybin line along Turkey’s southeastern border with Syria, stretching from Gaziantep province to Mardin, and the 25-kilometer Şenyurt-Mardin section, both of which resumed operations on March 31, Uraloğlu said in a post on X.
He said the work went beyond routine maintenance, addressing longstanding infrastructure deficiencies through a comprehensive rehabilitation process.
The government completed delayed maintenance dating back to 2011 and reinforced both the superstructure and substructure of the railway, he added.
🚆 Suriye sınırındaki 325 km’lik Karkamış–Nusaybin ve 25 km’lik Şenyurt–Mardin hatlarında yürüttüğümüz rehabilitasyon çalışmalarını tamamladık.
📅 Hatlarımızı 31 Mart itibarıyla yeniden tren trafiğine açtık.
🌉 Çalışmalarımız kapsamında; 310 km'de makinalı tamirat, 100 km… pic.twitter.com/ecTAuZ8P9K
— Abdulkadir URALOĞLU (@a_uraloglu) April 13, 2026
Rail operations along parts of the line had been disrupted following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, which led to security concerns and a decline in cross-border transport.
Crews rebuilt sections of track and station infrastructure, strengthened the ground in vulnerable areas and repaired damage caused by floods and other natural factors.
More than 2,500 specialized railway ties known as bridge sleepers were replaced, while bridges and culverts along the route were reinforced.
In the X post, Uraloğlu said 310 kilometers of track underwent mechanized repairs, while ballast screening and reinforcement work was carried out along 100 kilometers of the line.
He said the reopened corridor would increase freight capacity and support regional integration.
The reopening comes amid growing reconstruction efforts in parts of Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
Turkey has emerged as the leading foreign economic actor in Syria’s reconstruction, securing more than $11 billion in power and aviation contracts as Turkish companies and public institutions moved quickly to capitalize on postwar opportunities.
The reopening also follows a series of recent railway investments backed by international financing, signaling Ankara’s growing focus on rail transport for trade and logistics.
In February Turkey secured a preliminary $6.75 billion financing package from six international institutions, including the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, for the 125-kilometer Northern Ring Railway Project in İstanbul.
The planned line will connect the city’s two main airports via the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and is expected to become the country’s largest foreign-financed railway investment.
Earlier, in December, Turkey obtained a €350 million loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to support maintenance and modernization of its national rail network under a broader infrastructure program.
Officials say the investments aim to increase freight capacity, ease congestion and strengthen Turkey’s position as a regional logistics hub linking Europe, Asia and the Middle East.