Salini Impregilo to Build High-Speed ‘Orient Express’ in Turkey  

Salini Impregilo has won a $590 million contract to build a 153-kilometre section of a new “Orient Express” high-speed railway in Turkey between Istanbul and the border with Bulgaria.

The contract is the latest in the group’s major high-speed railway projects.

Set to last four years, it is receiving financing in euros from the European Union via the European Investment Bank.

The line will belong to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) that connects member countries of the European Union.

It will be a part of the Orient/East-Med Corridor, which connects Central Europe with ports of the North, Baltic, Black and Mediterranean seas.

The project, overseen by the Directorate General of Turkish State Railways, will reduce travel times, increase safety and contribute to the development of the region.

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After working a year on the project, Salini Impregilo will lead with a 50.01% stake in a joint-venture with Kolin İnşaat Turizm Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., a leading Turkish builder.

The latest contract will link the Halkali station to that of Kapikule with a double track that will supplant the existing single track. It will be for trains that can travel at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

The contract includes electrification, signalling and other auxiliary civil works related to that section of the line.

The choice of the best technological solution among 10 alternative projects was made based on a cost-benefit index. The contract also guarantees the immediate availability of machines to move 80 million cubic metres of earth.

Salini Impregilo is present in Turkey since 1966, having built iconic works such as the KEBAN Hydroelectric Project on the Euphrates River and developed large highway projects.

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