Highlights from our exclusive interview with TCDD Transportation General Manager Uful Yalçın;
* Container Transportation Increased By 28 Percent
* More Than 2 Million Loads Were Carried With Trucks
* A Roadmap Is Being Created For Decarbonization
* Block Train Operation Will Be Increased
* Digitalization Projects Are Being Realized One By One

TCDD Transportation General Manager Ufuk Yalçın emphasized that one of the areas they prioritize is digitalization, in addition to increasing block train, TIR box and combined transportation, and the fight for decarbonization, and in this context, reducing customs processes that take 1-2 days to minutes, tracking trains, Customer Demand Management System, Logistics. He said that they are working on many important projects such as Terminal Management System and Logistics Terminal Planning System.

How was 2023 for TCDD Transportation? What kind of freight traffic was achieved on the railway?
Following the earthquake disaster we experienced at the beginning of 2023, there was a decrease in our freight transportation compared to 2022 due to the shifting of our transportation possibilities from commercial transportation to the urgent needs of the earthquake region, the physical damage caused to our railway infrastructure by the floods that occurred after the earthquake and heavy rains, and the renovation works on the section of the BTK line passing through Georgia. In 2023, our Company reached 27 million 70 tons of cargo, approximately 23 million 740 thousand tons of which were domestic and 3 million 330 thousand tons (1,410,000 tons of import, 1,881,500 tons of export and 38,500 tons of transit) were abroad.
While the total number of passengers carried by our General Directorate was 236.2 million in 2022, it increased by 8 percent in 2023 and reached approximately 255.4 million. Ankara-Sivas has been added to the High Speed Train (YHT) routes operated by our General Directorate as of April 27, 2023. On October 29, 2023, when we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we also celebrated the 10th anniversary of Marmaray. The total number of passengers carried from the opening of Marmaray until the end of 2023 has exceeded 1 billion passengers. In addition, Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport metro services were started on January 23, 2023. In the capital Ankara, 21 million 938 thousand 421 people traveled with Başkentray in 2023, while the average number of daily passengers exceeded 60 thousand people. While providing transportation services to 700 thousand citizens daily, the Customer Services Department was established in April 2023 and started its activities within the scope of our efforts to increase customer satisfaction.

CONTAINER TRANSPORTATION INCREASED BY 28 PERCENT
How has the fight for decarbonization affected demand for rail transport? What kind of work do you carry out in this field as TCDD Transportation?
National and international regulations such as our country’s 2053 Net Zero Emission Target, the European Green Deal, the Green Deal Action Plan, the Border Carbon Regulation Mechanism, and the Emission Trading System constitute legal procedures in the fight for decarbonization.
Our country’s 12th Development Plan, covering the years 2024-2028, also includes green transformation themed measures. The impact of the decarbonization challenge on rail transport demand has not yet fully emerged. However, it is clearly observed that the Border Carbon Regulation Mechanism, especially in the international context, and our country’s 2053 Net Zero Emission Target in the national context, direct all parties to new pursuits with low emissions.
Our organization is in line with the Sustainable and Smart Transportation Strategy announced by the EU within the scope of the European Green Deal; It attaches importance to combined transportation and applies discounted tariffs for container transportation. When we look at container transportation by year, it can be seen that there is a regular increase. Freight transportation by containers in 2022 increased by 28 percent compared to 2018.

MORE THAN 2 MILLION LOADS WERE CARRIED WITH TRUCKS
With TIR box transportation, the loads carried by trucks on the road are shifted to the railway. There are 9 reciprocal trips per week for truck bed transportation between our country and Bulgarya. As of December 31, 2023, 2 million 60 thousand tons of cargo were transported with a total of 45 thousand 137 wagons and 85 thousand 833 TIR cases.
Junction line construction is ongoing to improve railway transportation. The loading amounts from these places are also increasing over the years. Approximately 41.5 percent of our transportation is made through junction lines. Thanks to the junction lines, more door-to-door transportation will be provided by railway.
The rate of transportation made with electric locomotives has been increasing over the years. Improving the electric railway infrastructure and increasing locomotive investments will contribute to a further increase in this rate. For this reason, our Organization continues to work primarily on the supply of electric locomotives in new investments and adopts a strategy of improving the towed vehicle park.

A ROADMAP IS BEING CREATED FOR DECARBONIZATION
Within the scope of our decarbonization struggle, we have set out to put the environmental and energy management systems on a solid basis within our Company, and in this context, our Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory studies have been prepared for 2022. In addition, the environmental management system installation has been completed for 43 of our facilities where vehicle maintenance and repairs are carried out, and “TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş. The preparation of the “Energy Management and Climate Change Action Plan” has reached the final stage.

BLOCK TRAIN OPERATION WILL BE INCREASED
What will be the priority agenda items of the railway transportation sector in 2024?
As TCDD Transportation, it is planned to increase block train operation by connecting ports, Organized Industrial Zones, logistics centers and production centers to the main railway network with junction lines.
In this context, the number of 12 Logistics Centers currently operating will reach 23 with 3 logistics centers under construction and 8 logistics centers in the project phase. Business models regarding the correct and efficient use of Logistics Centers are carried out in coordination with our Ministry.

DIGITALIZATION PROJECTS ARE BEING REALIZED ONE BY ONE
We are implementing digital technologies one by one in order to realize existing locomotive, wagon, capacity and machinist planning in the most efficient way. We are also carrying out many projects simultaneously in coordination with our infrastructure units in order to increase the average train speeds in the network.
As a result of the coordinated work of our Ministry of Trade and the General Directorate of Customs regarding the reduction of transit times in international transportation, we managed to reduce the customs transit times, which used to take 1-2 days, to minutes.
Train Monitoring and Coordination Center was put into operation to monitor trains and reduce delays / cancellations. In trains that are monitored in real time, situations such as sleepiness, absent-mindedness, fatigue, and loss of perception of the drivers are automatically detected by the artificial intelligence-supported system and an alarm is created at the center. As a result of this alarm, the operators, who work as 4 people per shift, directly reach the machinists and make the necessary warnings. With timely interventions, it is aimed to run planned trains on time and minimize delays.
A Customer Demand Management System was created via the online system to receive customer demands and match the block train schedule. The Combined Transportation Management System was developed to track and charge transportation containers, and the pilot application is still ongoing. The Logistics Terminal Management System, in which joint work is carried out with the Customs Administration on the entry and exit of combined transport containers and trucks, and the tracking and pricing of services provided, has reached its final stage. The Logistics Terminal Planning System, where logistics field layout, job assignment, queuing and storage processes will be monitored, is at the planning stage.

DOMESTIC AND NATIONAL PRODUCTION IS SUPPORTED
What are TCDD Transportation’s investment plans?
Domestic and national production of railway vehicles is supported. In this context, the procurement processes of the National High Speed Train Set, the National Electric Train Set (New Sakarya), the National Electric Locomotive, the National Hybrid Shunting Locomotive and the Battery Powered Shunting Vehicle, and the Diesel Electric Mainline Locomotive are continuing.
Energy Measurement and Billing System, which emphasizes savings and safety, installation of ERTMS On-Board Signaling Equipment, and Passenger Information and Entertainment System for YHT Sets, which will increase our customer satisfaction to the highest level, are provided. Maintenance, repair, revision, manufacturing and modernization of our towing and towing vehicles are carried out.