Turkey’s infrastructure investment agency AYGM has awarded Rec Uluslararasi Iinşaat a contract to rebuild and enhance the 286 km Mersin – Adana – Osmaniye – Gaziantep main line, according to railwaygazette.com.

The upgrade will enable 200 km/h running and is expected to reduce the end-to-end journey time between Mersin and Gaziantep from 6 hours 23 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.

The TL64.1bn contract covers construction works, supply and installation of all electrical and mechanical systems, and any additional works that may be required. Completion is required within 1,280 days of contract signing.

This new contract comes in addition to an existing TL6.8bn contract for work on the line signed in 2020, which is still underway.

The new contract reflects a recent expansion of the project to make the line capable of carrying both fast passenger trains and high volumes of freight between the port of Mersin, regional capital Adana, and Gaziantep, a major manufacturing centre. This is expected to require a substantial amount of additional work.

The 76 km section between Mersin and Adana will be expanded to four tracks, while there will be 210 km of double track between Adana and Gaziantep. The completed line will be integrated with Gaziantep’s 26.5 km Gaziray suburban rail corridor.

The line is expected to carry an average of 7 million passengers and 100 million tonnes of freight per year.