The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process has started on the Halkalı-Kapıkule railway project, which will become one of Turkey's largest railway projects. Turkish State Railways (TCDD) will conduct research into public opinion about the railway route's area of impact before commencing the construction. The Istanbul Ministry of Environment and Urbanization directorate will hold a meeting in Aug. 8 to inform the public about the Halkalı-Kapıkule railway project, and receive suggestions and opinions. According to the EIA application files presented to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, trains will go as fast as 200 kilometers per hour on the 229-kilometer-long railway. The project will include eight different destinations, and an impact map has been prepared for the railway that will pass through Istanbul, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne. The construction of the railway project will be put up for tender by the end of 2015 once the EIA report is authorized by officials.Once completed, the Halkalı-Kapıkule railway will become one of Turkey's most important railway corridors, connecting Turkey to Europe and Asia. The corridor of the project will connect the Ankara-Sivas and Kars high-speed rail lines to the European railway network under TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia), which predicts a revitalization of the Silk Road.The construction is expected to be completed in 18 months, which will cost 981 million euros, and will be integrated into the Halkalı-Kapıkule line. The project will be constructed in three phases, the first being the construction of the infrastructure.