Strenghtening the rail bridge between Turkey and Central Europe
- barboraarendasova
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The newly launched rail corridor connecting Turkey with Central Europe has reached another important milestone, confirming its growing strategic relevance for intermodal transport between Asia and Europe. Following the recent announcement of the first-ever train connection between Turkey and Central Europe, the first train departing ex Dunajská Streda on 27 December 2025 successfully transported shipments to Halkalı and Railport Kartepe terminals in Turkey. The train arrived at Railport Kartepe during the night of 2–3 January 2026, marking a significant operational achievement for all partners involved.
This follow-up connection further strengthens rail connectivity between the two regions, offering a reliable, efficient, and sustainable alternative to traditional transport modes. With flexible destination options on both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, the corridor is designed to meet diverse customer delivery requirements while reducing environmental impact.
The service highlights the growing role of rail transport as a resilient solution for cross-border logistics, particularly along strategic East–West routes. Operations will continue with subsequent departures from Railport Kartepe, as partners further develop the corridor and expand dependable rail services between Turkey and Central Europe.
The new line provides several key advantages for shippers, including:
A direct and efficient bridge between Asia and Europe
Cooperation with strong, reliable partners ensuring high service quality
Availability of METRANS 45’ pallet-wide equipment for pick-up and drop-off at Railport Kartepe
Integrated first- and last-mile trucking solutions directly at the terminal
Flexible equipment drop-off options on the Asian side of Turkey
This milestone would not have been possible without close collaboration across the logistics chain. Special thanks go to Railport, Pasifik, DB Cargo Bulgaria, Transagent, METRANS Danubia, and METRANS Rail Slovakia for their coordination and operational excellence.
Equally important is the trust placed in this new corridor by customers. Appreciation is extended to HILAL TRANS, BULUNG, and EP INTERMODAL, whose confidence and cooperation helped turn the first trains into reality.
Image source: metrans.eu
