Turkey - General Information

Country Name

Turkey (Türkiye)

National Railway System

National Railway Operator

Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları. The state railway is normally abbreviated as TCDD, which in translation means State Railways of the Republic of Turkey.

Under new legislation passed in April 2013, TCDD's operating activities are to be transferred to a stand-alone business known as TCDD Tasimacilik.

Language

Turkish. Modern Turkish script is based on Latin script. However, some special characters are used for language specific sounds. Turkish is the only official language although the Turkish government accepts the language rights of the Jewish, Greek and Armenian minorities. Kurdish, spoken by 6% of the population, is not recognised as an official language.

Outside the large cities and main tourist areas, knowledge of a foreign language is rare. German and English are the languages most likely to be encountered.

Currency

Turkish Pound (Türk Lira)

UIC code

numeric 75; alpha TR

Timetable

Journey Planner

• Ankara - Eskişehir high speed service: www.hizlitrenbileti.com
• Domestic travel: A much improved journey planner is now available. This is intended primarily as a ticket purchasing service, but fortunately functions as a journey planner as well. If no service is found for the journey & date specified a small pop-up window saying "Kriterlerinize Uygun Sefer Bulunmamaktadır" will appear near the top of the screen. If a service is found a further screen will appear. Click on the Train Name to bring up a pop-up window giving the full stopping pattern and timings of the train. The departure and arrival stations requested are highlighted in yellow. Only direct trains are shown: potential passengers appear to be expected to work out their own possible connections.

Downloadable Timetable

• Domestic: Bölgesel Yolcu Trenleri then select the appropriate "Bölge" (Region) and click on the ">>" symbol.
• International: Uluslararası Trenler gives details of services to Bucharest, Sofia and Tehran.

A privately compiled timetable is available within the site.

Printed Timetable

There is no longer an official printed timetable in Turkey. Usually, train departures (and sometimes arrivals) are shown on station boards with the terminating station and the train name often being the only information. Intermediate timings etc. are frequently not given. Timetables change irregularly and without prior notice to the public but, as the timetable structure is fairly static, they at least give an indication of service frequency. The only exception is international traffic between İstanbul and Bulgaria, where timetables appear to change in line with European practice, to which BDŽ adheres. The standard symbols indicating days of operation (such as crossed hammers for Mondays to Saturdays) are not used; days are shown by abbreviations of the Turkish names.

Engineering Information

A very informative list and map of the times and expected duration of route closures in 2014 is available on the "Rail Turkey" website.

Maps

Printed Maps

• "World Rail Atlas Vol. 8 The Middle East and Caucasus" by Neil Robinson (ISBN-10: 954-12-0128-8; ISBN-13: 978-954-12-0128-2)
• European Railway Atlas by M.G. Ball (2008 onwards)

Web-based Maps

• An excellent map of the TCDD network is available on the TCDD website. It gives distances for each location but is slightly out of date and does not show all triangles clearly.
• Thorsten Büker's Map of Turkey.
• A useful series of maps at various dates and enlargements are available on the Trains of Turkey website.

Ticketing

The new Turkish Railways reservation system became operational on 1 February 2014. The system will book most long distance domestic trains within Turkey, including seats, couchettes and sleepers. You print out your reservation details and pick up the tickets in Turkey. The best guide on how to do this is on the Man in Seat 61 site > How to buy tickets. Note that sleepers and couchettes must be reserved in advance; they cannot be acquired on the train even if spare berths are available.

TCDD no longer offers a network ticket. Balkan Flexipass and Interrail tickets continue to be valid.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

Under new legislation passed in April 2013, TCDD is to become an infrastructure manager.

Network Statement

None known.

Gauge

Standard

Electrification

25kV 50Hz.

The following lines are electrified: All high speed lines; İstanbul to Kapıkule; İstanbul to Ankara; Ankara suburban lines; Adana/İskenderun - Toprakkale - Fevzipaşa - Malatya - Çetinkaya - Divriği, İzmir suburban lines (Aliağa - Menderes).

The following lines are being electrified: Kayseri - Ulukisla - Yenice; Adana - Mersin.

Rule of the road

Right. However 95% of the network is single track.

Distances

No source known.

Other Railways

None

Tourist Lines

None

Metro

Ankara, İstanbul

Tram/LRT-systems

Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya, Samsun.

Recent and future changes

Future Changes

Preliminary work has started on a project to construct a 120 km direct line from Nusaybin to Habur (on the Iraqi border) via Cizre and Silopi, to avoid having to cross Syria. The target for completion is 2018 although this project appears completely unrealistic.

A 466 km high-speed line between Ankara and Sivas via Kirikkale, Yerköy and Yozgat has been put out for tender. A feasibility study for an eastward extension to Kars via Erzincan and Erzurum was started in 2006.

Plans for a 606 km high speed line from Izmir to Ankara have been approved. The line will pass though Afyon and meet the Ankara - Istanbul line near Polatlı. It was originally planned to be finished by 2013 but works are now expected to start in 2019.

Plans for a Mustafakemalpaşa (off the Balikesir-Bandirma line) – Bursa – Bilecik link, a conventional 160/200 km/h passenger/freight line, have been revived and this project will probably be put out for tender.

In May, 2008 talks started between Iran and Turkey about replacing the Lake Van train ferry with a double track electrified railway but this seems most unlikely to happen.

The problems which have delayed the new Tbilisi (Georgia) - Kars line have allegedly been solved; freight traffic should start by the end of 2016 and passenger services during 2017. The Akhalkalaki - Kars cross-border section, constructed by Turkey, was held up by technical and legal problems.

A new 17 km east-west cutoff is under construction between Bahce (Osmaniye province) and Nurdag (Gaziantep province) in southern Turkey. This will avoid the junction of Fevzipasa. It includes the longest tunnel in Turkey (10 km) on which boring has started, expected to be complete in 2019; trains may start in 2023. Fevzipasa will lose its importance and indeed might well close altogether as its only use would be for trains to Syria.

A number of lines have no passenger trains although services may resume in the future: Narli - Gaziantep. Understood to be closed for engineering work. The Toros Ekspresi is not running at present. Irmak - Cankiri. The track is in poor condition but the line is still open for freight. TCDD has recently let a contract for route overhaul, so it is hoped it will reopen to passenger traffic eventually.

Recent Changes

2016

On 15 February 2016 the recently reinstated services between Çerkezköy and Kapikule / Uzunköprü were suspended. However, they were reinstated between Kapikule and Halkali on 25 July 2016, thus reopening Çerkezköy - Halkali.

2015

On 20 October 2015 the main line west of Istanbul was reopened between Çerkezköy and Kapikule (Bulgarian border) and between Pehlivanköy and Uzunköprü (Greek border). The line between Çerkezköy and Kazlıçeşme (end of the Marmaray line) remains without a passenger service.

Sivas to Samsun closed for a period of 2 years from April 2015 for rebuilding. The Afyon A. Çetinkaya - Karakuyu - Goncali (- Izmir) line reopened to traffic on 19 January 2015 after being closed for approximately five years for engineering work.

On the Elazig - Muş (- Tatvan) line, a 27 km new alignment between Beyhan (km 113) and Hodan (km 140) opened in the second week of January 2015; the old line was closed on 15 December 2014. A further alignment, at least 30 km long, is under construction further east, from east of Dik (km 173) to approximately km 208 (near Yenibasak). This is all part of the new 114 km Palu - Genc - Muş line, on which construction started in December 2011.

2014

All traffic east of Karkamis (to Nusaybin) was withdrawn at the end of September 2014 as it is too dangerous to run trains on the line. The line is not expected to open until the conflict has ended.

The much delayed 511 km high speed line between Eskişehir and Pendik, east of İstanbul, was ceremonially opened on 25 July 2014, with public services commencing the following day. This utilises the 15km section avoiding İzmit city centre (operational since August 1999). On 17 November 2014 TCDD announced that local services between Pendik and Arifiye would resume "before the end of 2014."

The very tortuous old alignment between Tecer and Kangal was expected to fall out of use but continued in use by one local mixed train each way until new trains were introduced via the new main line from 23 February 2014. However, the local mixed train was reinstated from 18 March 2014, reopening the old line to passenger traffic.

2013

The Bosphorus crossing (Marmaray project), connecting the European and Asian networks, was ceremonially opened on 29 October 29 2013. It comprisesa 13.6 km double track tunnel from Yenikapı to Haydarpaşa, including a 1.4 km immersed-tube tunnel (the world's deepest), and also modernisation of the Sirkeci - Halkali and Haydarpaşa - Gebze suburban lines. The tunnel was completed on the 23 September 2008. Completion of the entire project had been repeatedly delayed, largely due to the discovery of a Byzantine-era archaeological find on the proposed site of the European tunnel terminal in 2005. On 19 June 2013 the last trains from İstanbul Haydarpaşa, suburban services to Pendik, were withdrawn.

Passenger services between Gaziantep and Nusaybin had been withdrawn by May 2013, supposedly because of engineering work.

On 1 March 2013 Halkali - Yedikule was closed for construction work. Suburban services between İstanbul Sirkeci and Yedikule continued to run.

2012

All services east of Gebze were withdrawn on 1 February 2012, leaving just a suburban service from İstanbul Haydarpaşa.

A cut-off between Tecer and Kangal, south east of Sivas, opened probably in September 2012 - 39 years after the project started. It incorporates the 5367 m Deliktaş tunnel, the longest in Turkey.

On 19 March 2012, the İstanbul - Kapikule line between Çerkezköy and Pehlivanköy was closed for engineering work from 07:00 - 19:00 each day Monday - Thursday. The line was open to traffic all day Friday - Sunday but the Bosphorus Express was replaced by buses between İstanbul Serkeci and Kapikule every day of the week.

The main line from İstanbul Haydarpaşa closed completely on 1 February 2012 between Gebze (in the İstanbul suburbs) and İzmit. All long-distance services were either cancelled or curtailed. The overnight services between Haydarpaşa and Ankara/Konya were withdrawn. Services to/from Adana and Eskişehir ran to and from Arifiye in lieu of Haydarpaşa. All long distance services to and from the East were withdrawn between Haydarpaşa and Anakara. There were no road replacement services between Arifiye and Haydarpaşa, although suburban services continued between Haydarpaşa and Gebze, a line now isolated from the rest of the system.

2011

Services on the 32 km line between Muratli (about half way between Erdine and Istanbul) and Tekirdag on the Sea of Marmara, opened as recently as 1 September 2010, were suspended from 22 December 2011 owing to lack of patronage.

The 112 km high speed line from Polatlı, on the Ankara - İstanbul line, to Konya opened to public traffic on 24 August 2011.

Ankara suburban services (Sincan - Ankara - Kayas) were withdrawn on 1 August 2011 owing to construction of the new high speed line into Ankara from the west. All long-distance trains now use the suburban tracks between Ankara and Sincan.

2009

The first stage of the 533 km İstanbul - Ankara high speed line, signalled to ETCS level 1 and with a design speed of 250 km/h, was opened to public traffic on 14 March 2009 between Sincan and Inönü, west of Eskişehir.

Special Notes

Many trains run every day of the week but some Ekspresi (Express) services run only every other day. Suburban services are usually subject to a different weekend schedule.

Trains can be very crowded. For all main line express trains, especially during weekends and during the school holiday period July - September, reservations are recommended. For express services on the main routes, each station served has a fixed allocation of tickets and no more are normally sold once this is exhausted. Reserved seats are not marked as such.

Punctuality of long distance trains is often low, and with the exception of a few dedicated connecting services, trains would usually not wait for possible late running feeder services. The operational practice appears to be that a train - once running late - has a lower priority than other trains still on time.

Electronic visas must be obtained in advance by means of the e-Visa Application system.

Turkey is relatively unusual in operating an internal train ferry service (freight only). The train ferry across the Bosphorus between the Istanbul stations of Sirkeci and Haydarpasa was withdrawn when rail access to these termini ceased. A ferry now operates between Tekirdag, about 100 km west of Istanbul and served by a branch from Muratli, and Derince, about 60 km south east of Istanbul, near Gebze. It has 5 rail tracks with a combined length of 800 m and can carry 58 normal length wagons. The voyage takes 8 hours, and loading and unloading each take 2 hours. This provides the only rail access between Europe and Asiatic Turkey.