Turkey opens high-speed Istanbul-Konya rail link

The new line reduces travelling time between the two cities by nine hours to four hours and 15 minutes, according to a statement released on the website of the president’s office on Wednesday.

The first high-speed rail link in Turkey, connecting Istanbul and Ankara, was inaugurated in July, five years after its first section Ankara-Eskisehir was put into service. The 533-kilometre railway reduces travelling time between the two cities to three-and-a-half hours from six.

Local media reported in November that the government is considering a second high-speed rail link between Istanbul and Ankara with an estimated investment cost of $4.5 billion.

The country invested 7.5 billion lira in the expansion and improvement of railroads in 2014, and plans to invest 8.5 billion lira in 2015, daily Sabah said on Thursday.

($ = euro)