Economic Concessions for Ottoman Rumelia Railway Projects and Involvement of Foreign Capital, 1860-1936
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Ottoman authorities considered a network of railways as an
effective way of strengthening the sovereignty, benefitting more from
trade with Western Europe and serving military purposes. Railways
played a crucial role in transporting Western European manufactured
goods and commercialisation of raw materials and other inland products
of Central Anatolia. Also, efficient railway transportation allowed the
connection of certain trade centres and ports. However, lack of capital,
financial and technical abilities drove the Ottoman authorities back to
foreign investors. Therefore performance of large scale, capital intense
projects initiated European investors was substantial in the nineteenth
century. The Rumelia railways and concession experienced political
conflicts, negotiations, and financial difficulties. The concession was first
awarded to a Belgian company which later passed to a German investor
due to some financial problems. The Ottoman Empire lost some of its
territories in Balkans and the railway company started to operate in
multiple countries. This study aims to analyse the development of the
Ottoman Rumelia Railway, so-called Oriental Railway, constructed by
the European investors with concession provided by the Ottoman
Government in the 1860s until it was bought and nationalised by the
Turkish government in 1937
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Ottoman railways, Rumelia railways, concession