Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that Türkiye has become a country that shares its expertise in railway construction, noting that last year railway personnel from Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, and Sudan received training. He also announced that consultancy services were provided for the establishment of a Railway Academy in Azerbaijan and that, within the scope of the reconstruction of Syrian railways, relevant personnel were trained in construction and line maintenance.
In his statement to the press, Minister Uraloğlu said that the Türkiye Railway Academy, whose foundation was laid in 2020 to offer rich and comprehensive training solutions designed in line with the development goals of the railway sector, aims to provide practice-oriented learning experiences aligned with professional competencies. He emphasized that the Academy accurately identifies sectoral needs to supply qualified human resources and focuses on individual, professional, and institutional development.
Uraloğlu noted that the Academy aims to build the institutional memory of TCDD, the leading locomotive of Türkiye’s railway sector, facilitate the sharing of sectoral knowledge and experience, and support the professional development of all sector employees and stakeholders. He added that, alongside training centers, online training opportunities are also offered.
Stressing that Türkiye seeks to blend its deep-rooted railway education culture with innovative practices to secure a respected and lasting position in railway training at both national and international levels, Uraloğlu continued:
“Within today’s national borders, Türkiye’s railway journey began in 1856 with the construction of the İzmir–Aydın line on September 23, 1856. With the Hejaz Railway Project, which Sultan Abdulhamid II attached great importance to and implemented, the Ottoman lands experienced a milestone in their social, cultural, and economic development. By 1923, a total of 4,136 kilometers of railway network had been built. With major investments during the Atatürk era, the railway network expanded and reached 7,900 kilometers by 1950.”
Uraloğlu stated that in the following period, when Türkiye was able to build an average of only 18 kilometers of railway per year, new initiatives were launched in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2023 targets, adding that today the railway network has reached 13,919 kilometers.
Training mobilization across two continents
Highlighting that Türkiye, which was introduced to high-speed train (HST) services through major investments, has become the 8th country in the world and the 6th in Europe to operate high-speed train technology, Uraloğlu said:
“Türkiye has now become a country that shares its expertise in railway construction. The Türkiye Railway Academy provides construction training to railway authorities of foreign countries. In this context, last year training was organized for railway personnel from Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, and Sudan in the fields of superstructure, maintenance and repair, and switch maintenance. Additionally, consultancy services were provided to our friendly and brotherly country Azerbaijan for the establishment of a Railway Academy. Within the scope of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Syrian railways, training was delivered to Syrian and Hejaz railway personnel on construction processes and line maintenance. The training programs conducted by TCDD lay solid foundations for the knowledge infrastructure that carries Türkiye’s railway vision into the future. The level we have achieved in training reinforces Türkiye’s leadership in the field of transportation.”
Minister Uraloğlu also noted that TCDD General Manager Veysi Kurt serves as the President of the Middle East Regional Assembly (RAME) of the International Union of Railways (UIC). He stated that Kurt chairs RAME meetings, strengthens relations with regional countries, and holds discussions to further enhance international railway connections.
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