 contract to build a high-speed railway line connecting Turkey’s capital of Ankara with its western port city of İzmir, according to Italian media.){kind=link}
Three Italian companies have secured a €2 billion ($2.1 billion) contract to build a high-speed railway line connecting Turkey’s capital of Ankara with its western port city of İzmir, according to Italian media.
Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie (GCF), Tratos and SAFET will jointly carry out the construction of the line. The Ankara-İzmir high-speed railway will span approximately 503 kilometers, reducing travel time between the two cities from over 14 hours to three-and-a-half hours. The electrified line is designed for speeds up to 250 kilometers per hour and includes the construction of 39 tunnels and 66 bridges to navigate Turkey’s mountainous terrain.
The project is expected to transport more than 13 million passengers and 90 million tons of freight annually once completed.
The contract was awarded as part of an internationally financed infrastructure initiative, supported by European export credit agencies. Italy’s SACE is providing guarantees, while the financing package includes Standard Chartered Bank and Credit Suisse, along with agencies from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Austria.
Tratos, a Tuscany-based cable manufacturer, is participating through its UK subsidiary, Tratos UK. GCF, based in Rome, will lead the rail infrastructure engineering and construction, while SAFET will contribute systems and civil works.
Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the Ankara-İzmir corridor is central to the country’s goal of doubling its high-speed rail network to 4,122 kilometers by 2027, up from the current 2,251 kilometers.
Growing Italy–Turkey economic cooperation
Italy and Turkey have significantly deepened economic ties in recent years. In 2023 bilateral trade reached $27.3 billion, with both countries announcing a target of $40 billion following an April summit in Rome between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The two countries are active partners in sectors including construction, energy and defense.
Leonardo–Baykar defense partnership
In a parallel development in March, Italy’s state-controlled defense contractor Leonardo signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkish drone maker Baykar to jointly develop unmanned technologies.
As part of the agreement the two companies will conduct joint production in both Turkey and Italy. The companies expect the European unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) market to grow to $100 billion over the next decade.