ANKARA, Apr 13 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said yesterday that, Turkey aims to become a logistics superpower, as part of the country’s 2053 vision.
The Europe-Asia-Africa trade triangle, in which Turkey is located, offers great opportunities for the country, especially in the field of transportation, he said at a press conference, after a cabinet meeting.
Turkey has already made significant investments worth 172 billion U.S. dollars, in five main transportation sectors since 2003, he added.
The railway investments have come to the fore. The railway network has been expanded from 10,959 km to 13,022 km, which will be lengthened to 28,590 km by 2053, he noted.
The share of railways in passenger transportation is planned to increase from one percent to 6.2 percent, which is above the European average, the Turkish president said, adding, his government aims to make 22 percent of freight shipment by railway in 2053.
Turkey will also improve the road service level, with new investments, expanding the divided road network from 28,650 km to 38,000 km, and the highway network from 3,633 km to 8,325 km by 2053, he added.
Nearly 255 million tonnes of cargo will be transported through Turkish ports next year, and this figure will be approximately 421 million tonnes in 2053, he said.
For this purpose, the number of port facilities will increase from 217 currently to 255 in 2053, Erdogan added.
The Canal Istanbul project is of critical importance, in terms of reducing the ship traffic in the Bosphorus, the president noted.
The number of airports will increase from 56 to 61 in the coming years, Erdogan explained.– NNN-ANADOLU