In early 2025, the Turkish Railways issued an open tender for a railway network upgrade and new construction project worth up to $60 billion.
It is understood that the core goal of this plan is to make Turkey a transportation hub connecting Asia and Europe, especially by transferring the railway route originally through Russia to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, thus directly connecting to Europe.
In mid-January 2025, a Turkish investment official revealed that China has expressed its intention to provide assistance in this process and assist Turkey in upgrading and transforming its railway network.
According to China's plan, once this new railway network is completed, Turkey will obtain a transportation volume share of $75 billion and become an important hub for global railway transportation.