Earthquake in Turkey and Syria, railway traffic suspended

Rail traffic in Turkey and Syria was partially affected by the earthquakes that hit the border region on Monday. All rail traffic has been suspended in Syria. Turkey has largely canceled passenger traffic from the east of the country, reports Railway Supply magazine with reference to RailFreight.

On Monday morning, aftershocks of 7.8 magnitude occurred in central Turkey and northwestern Syria. A second earthquake of magnitude 7.7 hit the region on Monday afternoon. The death toll since the second earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 2,300, according to the Associated Press, and that number is expected to rise in the coming hours.

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All rail traffic in Syria was suspended on Monday, the Syrian Ministry of Transport said the same day. This is necessary to check the condition of the railway tracks. Syria does not play a big role on the international rail freight map. However, passengers are counting on the daily movement of trains in the main cities of the country, including the affected cities of Aleppo and Latakia.

In Turkey, there is less clarity regarding the continuation of rail freight traffic. The suspended services announced so far are passenger services connecting the west and east of the country. The railway infrastructure of Gaziantep has been destroyed. According to rail freight specialists, Turkish Railways has not yet announced the suspension of rail freight traffic. Some report infrastructure damage.

Turkey plays an important role on the international rail transport map. It is a transit country for traffic coming from the east through Kars and heading towards Europe. This is the southern branch of the Middle Corridor. Kars is located in the north, outside the seismic zone.

But there are also many intermodal services that pass through Turkish ports to Europe, and the land part is carried out by rail. The port of Iskenderun was badly damaged by the earthquake.

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