Türkiye’s first private intermodal terminal Railport has marked the start of its rail terminal activities with the first train departing from its facility.
The event is part of Railport’s process to start intermodal terminal operations and adds capacity for the country’s intermodal transport system.
Metrans, a railway operator that manages several terminals and has experience in intermodal transport, operated the first service.
The partnership between Railport and Metrans “is regarded as a strategic beginning” of the objective of building a consistent logistics route between Türkiye and Europe using rail transport.
The launch aligns Railport with ongoing international intermodal networks.
After this initial service, both companies plan to offer routine train services.
Railport general manager Fatih Yılmazkarasu said: “The first train departure from Railport is a tangible demonstration of the contribution our terminal will make to rail transportation in Türkiye. This operation marks the beginning of our long-term strategy aimed at enabling more effective use of intermodal transportation nationwide and offering competitive solutions to our customers.”
Railport includes infrastructure that can manage various cargo types, uses operational systems with technology integration and is located to serve both domestic and international needs.
Through this infrastructure and its connections, cargo moving between Türkiye and Europe will have more structured schedules and safety measures, said Railport.
Railport is a land terminal established through a collaboration between Arkas Holding and European intermodal logistics terminal operator duisport in Kartepe.
During a conference held in Istanbul between 3–5 November 2025, Yilmazkarasu said: “At Railport, our goal is to make Türkiye the most effective logistics hub of the Middle Corridor. With a total investment of $300m, Railport operates on a vast 265,000m2 area. We have an annual handling capacity of 360,000 TEU containers, 1.5 million tonnes of general cargo, 125,000 trailers, and 122,000 finished vehicles—making us one of Türkiye’s largest and most modern inland terminals.
“Here, we are not only talking about numbers but about vision. Because Railport was designed to be one of the strongest links in trade between Asia and Europe.”
