The line is connecting Irmak station junction, which is located close to Ankara, with the Black Sea harbor Zonguldak in the north. Rehabilitation and signalization works of the project are realized by Yapi Merkezi.

This project aimed to rehabilitate and implement a signalization system for the 415km Irmak-Karabük-Zonguldak railway line, while linking the Anatolia region with several ports on the Black Sea for freight and passenger transport.

Apart from generating significant environmental benefits, it led to time gains, improved security and boosted economic development. The project also had a pan-European dimension, as it links in to the extended Trans-European-Network (TEN-T) lines.

The European Union also provided a grant of €194 million to the project through its instruments for pre-accession (IPA) funds. This project is therefore an excellent example of complementary use of EU grants and EIB loans for a priority investment in the sustainable transport infrastructure in the country.

The scope of the project consisted of as follows:

• Rehabilitation of 477km of level-line track according to modern railway standards

• Rehabilitation of some of the existing tunnels out of 55 in total and some of the existing railway bridges out of 118 in total

• Installation of automatic protection systems on 253 level-line crossings

• Installation of passenger information and telecom systems on 32 stations to provide disabled passengers with safely access

The project was awarded “ Turkey’s Best Infrastructure Logistics Project” prize in Economics and Logistics Summit which was held on May 12,2016.