The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM), has received financing from the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions toward the cost of the Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project (INRAIL) and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract.

The engagement aims to communicate the specific needs and requirements of the projects to interested firms while openly and transparently discussing potential solutions. It also seeks to gather feedback on the proposed evaluation criteria and to identify any additional or bidder qualification criteria that may be relevant. Furthermore, the process will help define the procurement packaging strategy and clarify the bidding and contracting procedures, including the use of the World Bank’s Standard Procurement Documents. In addition, it will evaluate cost and value implications, assess potential benefits and risks, and enhance understanding of market capacity, capability, current trends, and contractor qualifications. 

The project consists of a 125-km greenfield railway line and involves the construction of multiple tunnels and viaducts, 61 km representing 50% of the total project length. The key components of the project are expected to include the following major works:

• 5 twin-tube boring machine (TBM) tunnels (58.44 km in total);
• 20 double-track New Austrian Tunneling (NATM) tunnels (21.34 km in total);
• 15 cut-and-cover tunnels (2.995 km in total);
• 2 viaducts and 40 bridges (22.105 km in total) along its alignment, to minimize environmental and social impacts; and
• 9 underpasses and 11 Overpasses with different lengths.