Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Uraloğlu detailed the steps Turkey has taken in the railway, maritime and aviation sectors to achieve its decarbonisation target. It is stated that railway transportwill be emphasised in achieving Turkey’s 2053 net zero emission target.
Growth in Railway Network and Increase in Freight Share
The target of increasing the share of rail freight transport from the current 5 per cent to 22 per cent underpins the vision of supporting safer, balanced and environmentally friendly multimodal transport.
With these targets, the railway network is planned to be expanded rapidly: as of 2025, the current railway network is 13,919 kilometres, 2028 target is 17,500 kilometres, 2053 target is approximately 29,000 kilometres
Minister Uraloğlu emphasises that each High Speed Trains (HSR) journey both saves time and provides an environmentally friendly transport. Especially the information that the Marmaray project has prevented 62 million tonnes of carbon emission since it was put into service in 2013 concretises the environmental impact of rail systems.
Decarbonisation in Maritime and Aviation
Minister Uraloğlu states that the environmental transformation is not limited to road and rail, but also covers the maritime and aviation sectors:
Maritime Green Port Certificate and decarbonisation projects support environmental transformation in maritime transport.
Aviation Within the scope of Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme, Turkey is the second country in the world with the highest number of carbon-free airport certificates with 50 airports.
It is also stated that thanks to the 60 domestic TOGG cars used in “Follow Me” services at airports, the zero emission target in aviation is rapidly approaching.
Net Zero Emission Target in Transport
Uraloğlu states that all these environmentally friendly and exemplary practices in Europe serve one big goal:
“Our target is net zero emission in transport in 2053.”
This comprehensive transformation reveals an integrated and environment-focused transport vision covering the road, rail, maritime and aviation sectors.
