AA - Turkey aims to focus on high-speed train service in 2010 and plans to invest around USD 3.5 billion next year to improve country's railroad network, said Head of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) last week. "Our projects planned for 2010 are worth USD 3.5 billion", Suleyman Karaman told media.

In March 2009, Turkey launched the country's first high-speed train service between the Turkish capital province of Ankara and the Central Anatolian province of Eskisehir on a 240-kilometer line. TCDD is working to extend this line from Ankara to Konya in the south and from Eskisehir to Istanbul in the west.

"I think we will launch services to Istanbul from Eskisehir by late 2012 or early 2013. We will also finish the high-speed railroad from Ankara to Konya by end-2010", he said.

Karaman stated that TCDD will carry out projects to improve several parts of Turkey's domestic railroad network, adding that efforts to complete international lines --from Syria's Aleppo to Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey and from Georgia's Tbilisi to Kars in northeastern Turkey-- are underway.