TURKEY: Infrastructure investment agency AYGM has called tenders for the modernisation, resignalling and electrification of the 825 km double-track main line between Divriği and the border with Georgia.

This constitutes the eastern half of Turkey’s section of the Middle Corridor. Work on upgrading and electrifying the bulk of the western half has mostly been completed.

The latest project is being divided into three lots:

• Lot 1 Divriği to Erzincan, 156 km;
• Lot 2 Erzincan to Erzurum, 223 km;
• Lot 3 Erzurum to Kars, 208 km, plus the 80 km link from Kars to the border.

The deadline for bids is December 22 2026 and all work is to be completed within four years of the contract signing.

The project is being funded with US$660m from the World Bank and US$250m from the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank, in support of the aims of reducing transit times and replacing diesel locomotives with low carbon electric locomotives.

Once completed, the scheme is expected to reduce the transit time for a freight train between the Georgian border and Divriği from 55 h to 22 h and to increase the capacity of the line from 750 000 tonnes/year to 20 million tonnes/year.