Turkish railways to buy 6 high-speed trains

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

The Turkish State Railways has secured loans from the Islamic Development Bank to purchase six high speed trains. Hürriyet photo

Turkish State Railways (TCDD) has announced plans to purchase six high-speed train sets as part of a plan to improve the Ankara-Konya High Speed Train Railway project in Central Anatolia.

The TCDD is financing the project thanks to a loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), according to the announcement made in yesterday’s Official Gazette.

The majority of the loan will be used for the procurement of six high-speed trains and a simulator, as well as the contracting of seven years of repair, maintenance and cleanup services, the TCDD said, adding that sealed tender bids would be taken as part of the services leg of the deal.

Tender bids will be placed according to the financing policy of IDB and the IDB guide to the purchase of goods and services. The tender will be open to bidders from all countries that are approved in the bank’s policy guide.

The potential bidders must have signed two similar deals worth at least 180 million euros each between 2005 and 2011 and completed at least one of them in order to be eligible for the tender, it said. Bids will be decided on Oct. 10 before the representatives of bidders and attendees at the TCDD’s headquarters.