Türkiye tenders eastern Middle Corridor upgrade: 26-fold capacity increase

Türkiye has invited bids to rehabilitate and electrify the railway between Divriği and the Georgian border, part of its section of the Middle Corridor. The work is divided into three lots that should greatly increase capacity on the route. Proposals are due on 22 December. Türkiye published the tender notice earlier this month. The work is part of the Eastern Türkiye Middle Corridor Railway Development Project (ETMIC), which is financed by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

“We will rehabilitate the infrastructure and superstructure of the existing line from Divriği to the Kars border and carry out electrification and signalling works”, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu is quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency. The project will strengthen east–west rail links and increase the transport capacity of the Middle Corridor, he added.

Lot 1 covers rehabilitation and electrification of the 156 kilometres between Divriği and Erzincan, Lot 2 the 223 kilometres between Erzincan and Erzurum. Lot 3 includes rehabilitation of the 208 kilometres from Erzurum to Kars, but electrification of the 288 kilometres from Erzurum to the Georgian border. The track works thus end at Kars, while the electrification project continues to the international border.

The final stretch from Kars to the border is handled separately. “With the ETMIC project, we will complete the construction of the second track, as well as electrification and signalling, on the line from Kars to the Georgian border, which we recently tendered with financing from the Islamic Development Bank”, Uraloğlu was quoted as saying in Hürriyet.

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