Samsun - Trabzon - Sarpi High-Speed ​​Railway

2026-05-23

There is a lot of talk in Georgia about the “Middle Corridor” and the Anaklia port, but the real infrastructure revolution is starting on a completely different scale near our borders. The Turkish Ministry of Transport has officially approved an ambitious project: “Samsun-Trabzon-Sarpi High-Speed ​​Railway”.

Data:

- 513 kilometers of new, modern track along the Black Sea coast.

- Maximum train speed of 250 km/h.

- Travel time from Trabzon to Sarpi (to the Georgian border) — 70 minutes!

- This line will directly connect Ankara and Istanbul.

What should be Georgia’s response

Sarpi ➔ Anaklia

If Turkey brings this gigantic railway to our doorstep, Georgia’s inaction simply will not work. Our strategic step should be to extend this line from Sarpi directly to the new Anaklia port.

What does the project look like

- Distance: “Sarpi-Batumi-Kobuleti-Poti-Anaklia” — 120 kilometers.

- Time: It will be possible to get to Anaklia from Batumi by train in 25-30 minutes.

- Effect: Adjara, Guria and Samegrelo will turn into a single maritime-tourist megalopolis, and the Anaklia port will receive a direct, fastest connection to the Turkish railway network and all of Europe.

Chinese Method — Solution for Colchis (High Viaducts)

How to build a 120 km railway along a densely populated and swampy coast? Here we should use Chinese engineering experience — running the train on high viaducts, or continuous overpasses (viaducts).

Why is this a solution

1. Deeply concreted viaducts ignore the soft soil of the Colchis lowland and give the track absolute stability.

2. The railway will “fly” through the air over the Colchis nature reserve and leave its unique nature untouched.

3. We will not have to demolish beaches and private hotels. Roads, infrastructure and parks will continue as usual under the poles.

Who will finance all this? An example from London

Many people think that only China has the money for such gigantic projects. The reality is completely different. Just recently, Turkey presented its new railway project at the London Green Finance Conference.

Result

The British government agency (UKEF) and Western banks (Standard Chartered) approved an unprecedented 2.1 billion euro green loan for Turkey. The West is ready to finance “green” transport, as it meets global goals in the fight against climate change.

The European Union and the “Middle Corridor” billions

A green railway on overpasses is the number one priority for the European Union. The European Commission has already included the Anaklia port in its strategic study as a priority for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The European Union has a special 300 billion fund, the Global Gateway, which finances exactly such projects. They have already shown an example in Turkey, where they have given a huge grant of 275 million euros for the construction of a high-speed railway connecting it to Europe.

Conclusion:

There is both money and interest. If Georgia presents the project correctly, without sanctioned companies, as part of the European "TEN-T" and "green transport", we can receive not only loans, but also millions of euros in grants from the West.

The choice is ours: do we want a port drowning in Chinese debts, or a super-fast green railway built with European grants that will take us from Sarpi to Anaklia in 30 minutes?

In the future, after the unification of the country, this line will naturally continue in the direction of Ochamchira, Sukhumi and Gagra.

Dato Gochava, Professional Railwaymen's Club