TURKEY: State rolling stock manufacturer Türasaş has signed a €47m contract to supply eight four-car electric multiple-units for the Gaziray suburban rail service which is being developed in Gaziantep.
The aluminium bodied EMUs will have a top speed of 120 km/hr and a capacity of 1 000 passengers. The first is scheduled to be delivered within 24 months of the contract signing on January 22, and the last within 28 months.
The Gaziray project is being undertaken by a joint venture between TCDD and Gaziantep municipality, and will link two outlying industrial zones with the city centre.
The work involves the rebuilding of 25·5 km of existing railway to provide two tracks for long-distance serves and two for suburban services. The line will have 16 stations, including four on a 5 km underground section.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu said 20 km of route and 10 stations had now been completed, and the remaining work was expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Construction work is being carried out under number of separate contracts. In 2017 Kolin İnşaat was awarded a TL430m contract for construction on the Başpinar – Gaziantep – Yavuz route; in 2019 Elsitel Elektromekanik İnşaat was awarded a TL189m contract covering electrification and signalling, and Kalyon İnşaat won a TL976m contract covering the underground sections and train depot. Last year BS Uluslararasi Mühendislik was awarded a TL220m contract for construction works.
