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Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train to be connected by a bridge on Bosphorus

10 May 2011 [12:34] - TODAY.AZ
The high-speed train between the capital city Ankara and the commercial hub Istanbul will be connected to a bridge across the Bosphorus and Marmaray rail system as part of a vast rail project in Istanbul, according to Turkey's Transportation Minister Habib Soluk.

Soluk said the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train would travel through the north of Sapanca Lake and reach the Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul.

"In Sultanbeyli, the line will be divided into two, and one line will connect to the third bridge, yet to be constructed, over the Istanbul strait, and the other linked to the Marmaray tunnel," Soluk told Anatolia news agency Monday.

Soluk said high-speed trains could reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour on both routes.

The minister said executives held a tender for the project, and the ministry would shape the project by holding a meeting with officials of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Soluk also said the ministry aimed to hold tenders for planned subway projects in Ankara and complete the projects within two months, adding that the construction could begin in September.

The High-Speed Train Project includes the construction of a new 533-kilometer two-way, totally electric and signaled high-speed line, independent of the existing line between Ankara and Istanbul.

The Ankara-Eskişehir line of the project has been completed and has started operating.

The Marmaray Project provides an upgrade of the commuter rail system in Istanbul, connecting Halkalı on the European side with Gebze on the Asian side with an uninterrupted, modern, high-capacity commuter rail system.


/Hurriyet Daily News/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/85899.html

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