Türkiye puts its first international private freight train on the tracks to Hungary

Türkiye has launched its first international freight train operated by a private company. It marks a watershed moment in Turkish rail freight, which has long been dominated by state-owned companies. Ankara’s transport minister expressed ambitious goals for the country’s rail freight sector at the departure ceremony of the train to Budapest.

The train, which is operated by Turkey’s five-year old private rail operator Pasifik Eurasia, departed for Budapest from Istanbul. The entire journey will take around four days to complete, and crosses through Bulgaria and Romania before making the final stride towards Hungary’s capital city.

Liberalisation

The departure of Pasifik Eurasia’s train is a milestone in Turkish rail freight, as it is the country’s first privately-operated international freight train. The liberalisation of the rail freight sector reflects Turkey’s ambitions for the development of its rail network, according to transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

“We are excited to see Pasifik Eurasia become the first private operator of international rail freight,” Uraloğlu commented. “This route between Istanbul and Budapest will enhance our export capabilities and further cement Türkiye’s role as a bridge between Asia and Europe.” Liberalisation is supposed to encourage competition and investments in the railway sector.

Asia – Europe bridge

Ultimately, Turkey wants to become a bridge between Asia and Europe and profit from the growing flow of goods along the Middle Corridor. “We are prioritising railways as a state policy,” Uraloğlu said. “Our vision is to create the shortest, safest, and most economical rail corridor between the two continents.”

This year’s reopening of the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars rail line in the Caucasus has helped Turkey in that ambition, but it plans to significantly expand its own infrastructure as well: By 2053, it wants to expand rail infrastructure to a total length of 28,590 kilometres from the current 13,919 kilometres, according to Uraloğlu.

The market share of rail freight is also a point of improvement, considers the Turkish government. Currently, the share stands at 5 per cent, but Ankara wants to grow it to 22 per cent, to a total of 448 million tonnes. Pasifik Eurasia also seems to have a role to play in that ambition. It has committed to running 600 trains yearly, which will carry 750,000 tonnes of export goods 600 million euros.