On 22nd August 2025, the Turkish government gave the official go-ahead for the construction of a 224 km railway line from Kars to Dilucu. The line is considered a central section of the planned TRIPP transit corridor between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Once completed, the corridor is expected to transport up to 15 million t of freight and 5.5 million passengers per year and is designed to operate for four to five years. The project costs amount to approximately EUR 2.9 billion (USD 3.4 billion), of which EUR 2.3 billion is to be covered by external loans. At the end of July 2025, foreign financing of EUR 2.4 billion was announced with the participation of MUFG Bank, EKN, OeKB and the Islamic Development Bank, but final confirmation from the institutions is still pending. Tenders for consulting services were published at the end of 2024, but construction contracts have not yet been awarded.
