Setting out with the mission that “Rail systems are our national cause”, the Anatolian Rail Transportation Systems (ARUS) Cluster was established in 2012 at OSTİM as Turkey's leading cluster in the sector, encompassing all of Anatolia, together with our industrialists and supporting institutions and organizations producing for rail transportation systems in our country, in line with the principle of “Cooperation, Collaboration and National Brands”.
ARUS, which has set itself the main goal of producing domestic and national branded rail transportation systems from design to final product in our country and turning them into world brands, has brought together all the leading organizations of the Turkish rail systems sector with its nearly 200 members from 27 provinces of Anatolia, and has undertaken the mission of fostering cooperation, collaboration and creating national brands in the sector.
Since its establishment, ARUS has contributed to the emergence of minimum 20 national brands in rail system vehicles and products, successfully increasing the domestic content ratio to70% by putting into service approximately 560 domestic and national brand trams, light rail transit (LRT) vehicles, metros, commuter trains, electric train sets, high-speed electric train sets, mainline, shunting and hybrid locomotives, wagons, traction motors, control systems and signaling systems in our country.
Excellent examples of our national brands include the Panorama, Istanbul, Kayseri, and İpekböceği trams, the Istanbul, Bursa and Green City LRTs, the HSL 700 Hybrid Locomotive, the E1000 Shunting Locomotive, the E5000 Electric Mainline Locomotive, the DE10000 Diesel-Electric Shunting Locomotive, the Electric train sets, new generation freight wagons, traction motors, and national signaling systems. The manufactured rail system vehicles are in service in the provinces of Bursa, Kayseri, Istanbul, Samsun, Kocaeli, Antalya, Izmir, and Gaziantep.
ARUS members have quickly proven their success internationally, exporting approximately €1 billion worth of rail systems, including infrastructure, worldwide in 2025. In addition to our members who have achieved great export success in vehicles, wagons, and infrastructure systems, many of our members who produce critical parts such as main components, sub-components, interior and exterior trimming, and traction motors in accordance with international standards have become suppliers to major vehicle manufacturers worldwide.
ARUS members, continuing their success in the rail systems superstructure and infrastructure industry, have begun exporting their products, which comply with international standards, to the world by reducing our dependence on foreign sources with their national signaling system certified at the SIL4 safety level, national Communication-Based Train Control system, traffic management systems, Platform Screen Door systems and electrification works.
ARUS has completed three Ministry of Trade International Competitiveness Development (UR-GE) Projects and three EU COSME Projects specifically in the field of rail systems, and is currently running 4th UR-GE Project and Ministry of Industrial and Technology Cluster Support Project.
As part of its international activities, ARUS is a key member of the European Rail Clusters Initiative (ERCI), which comprises 17 European countries and 18 European Rail Clusters, and participates in all of the Initiative's joint projects and collaborations. Within this framework, ARUS members have won 4 ERCI European Innovation Awards, 2 Frost & Sullivan European Company of the Year awards, and a European Leadership Awards in Intelligent Transportation Systems.
ERCI is an initiative comprising 17 European countries (Italy, Poland, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Sweden, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Germany, Portugal, and Scotland) and 18 clusters (Italy/DITECFER, Spain/MAFEX, France/i-Trans, Germany/Rail.S, Spain/RAILGRUP, Turkey/ARUS, Austria/AC Styria, Germany/CNA-Cluster Bahntechnik, Germany/Cluster Transport | Mobility | Logistics Berlin-Brandenburg, Sweden/Järnvägsklustret Railway Cluster, Belgium/Logistics in Wallonia, Scotland/Rail Cluster Scotland, Serbia/RCSEE – Rail Cluster for South-East Europe, Poland/Południowy Klaster Kolejowy – Southern Railway Cluster, United Kingdom/BCRRE – Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, and Portugal/PFP).
You can find detailed information about ERCI at the following link:
https://eurailclusters.com/about/
In 2022, within the scope of the European Cluster Excellence Certification carried out by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA), ARUS became the first cluster in Türkiye to be awarded the “SILVER Label” certificate and is currently the only cluster in Türkiye holding the Silver Label Certificate.
You can watch the ARUS promotional video at the following link:
EU projects in which ARUS is involved:
- EXXTRA Project Website: http://exxtraproject.eu/
- STARS Project Website: https://starseurope.eu/
- LEADER 2030 Project Website: https://www.eurailclusters.com/erci_project/leader-2030/
- E-BOOST Project Website: https://www.eurailclusters.com/member_project/e-boost/
