Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project

About this project

The Operation will finance the construction of the Istanbul North Rail Crossing (INRAIL), an approximately 127-km greenfield railway that will serve as a bypass for the Istanbul Metropolitan Area and provide for an overland crossing over the Bosphorus. INRAIL is being prepared and managed by the Directorate of General of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM) within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MoTI), which will serve as Implementing Agency. The proposed railway bypass would start at or near the Çayirova station on the Asian side and end at the Çatalca station on the European side, crossing the Bosphorus Strait using the existing track space allocated on the Yavuz Sultan Selim (YSS) Bridge, also known as the Third Bridge, at the Bosphorus northern end. The bypass is proposed as an electrified, fully signalized, mixed-used line to carry passengers and freight. It will be connected to the Turkish national high-speed rail network, with the intended capacity of moving passenger trains at a top design speed of 160 km. per hour. Freight trains will move at up to 80-120 Km. per hour. The line will connect Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side to the urban and inter-city railway network, as well as Sabiha Gokçen Airport (SAW) on the Asian side, thus facilitating (i) domestic and international air and rail passenger connectivity, and (ii) urban mobility within the Istanbul Metropolitan Area. The two airports will be the bypass line's only two stations, with capacity…

Published by

World Bank · Multilateral

Countries

Türkiye

Sectors

Multi-hazard response preparednessRail transport

Places

Ankara

Funded by

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Implemented by

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure

Accountable

Republic of Türkiye

Passes funds through

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Published by World Bank to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 3 Oct 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: 44000-P509952.

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