Metin Akbaş was born in Akçakale, Şanlıurfa (Turkey) in 1971.

After completing his primary and secondary school in Pozantı, Adana, he graduated from Eskişehir Railway Vocational High School in 1987 and from Yıldız Technical University Faculty of Electrical Engineering in 1992 as an electrical engineer. He completed his master’s degree in urban systems and transportation management.

Mr Akbaş began his career in 1987 at Turkey State Railways, where he worked as a civil servant, telecommunications engineer in charge of the Thrace region, control engineer, service manager of Istanbul Suburban (founder), deputy director and director of the first region of TCDD up to the beginning of 2015. Between March 2015 and May 2016, he served as Deputy Director General of Infrastructure Investments at the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and was Acting Director General of the same institution between May 2016 and August 2016.

He was appointed to the role of Deputy Director General of İstanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in September 2016.

He resigned from his duty as Deputy Director General of İSKİ in August 2019.
Mr Akbaş took up the position of TCDD Deputy Director General in January 2020 and began his work as Acting Chairman and Director General of TCDD in September 2021.

He is married has a daughter and a son and speaks English.

(Source: TCDD)