Istanbul North Rail Crossing project gets preliminary USD 6.75bn

Turkiye has reached a preliminary agreement with six lenders to obtain USD 6.75 billion in external financing for the Istanbul North Rail Crossing project, as reported by Railway Pro. The plan is for a new railway line across northern Istanbul that connects major logistics and airport hubs.

Istanbul North Rail Crossing project route and key hubs

The route is planned as a 125 km Asia–Europe rail axis along the city’s northern side. It would link Gebze, Sabiha Gokcen Airport, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Istanbul Airport, and Halkali.

For the Bosphorus crossing, the line would run via the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. It would create a direct rail link between Istanbul’s two major airports for the first time.

Engineering scope and projected passenger and freight volumes

Also, authorities estimate the corridor will carry 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of freight each year. The project includes extensive engineering works, with 44 tunnels totaling 59.1 km and 42 bridges spanning 22.4 km.

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International financing and an alternative to Marmaray

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the new infrastructure will “open a new era in logistics” by increasing Turkiye’s rail capacity between Asia and Europe. In addition, the financing scheme involves the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development, with the Istanbul North Rail Crossing project also referenced in a World Bank project document.

Separately, preparations for the tender are underway, and the goal is to complete the procedure and start work this year, as previously covered by Railway Supply.

Meanwhile, rail traffic across the Bosphorus is handled by the Marmaray tunnel, but its capacity is limited, and freight transport is only allowed at certain times of the day. According to Ministry of Transport data, between 2020 and October 2025, around 1.7 million tons of freight moved through Marmaray.

The new line is intended as an alternative to Marmaray by diverting both freight and passenger traffic, reducing pressure on the tunnel and significantly increasing transport capacity between the continents.

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