Travelling by train in Turkey .. Your full guide 2023
Table of Contents
Train in Turkey is a great way to explore the country on a budget, in this article we will cover everything you need to know about Trains in Turkey.
You will find a comparison between the old and new trains and other important details about trains in Turkey in this article.
A history of railways in Turkey
A quite developed railways network was operating even during the Ottoman era. Attracting European travelers such as the well-known Orient Express and covering distances throughout the three continents, trains at the Ottoman lands used to bear an important mission.
Towards the end of the Empire, ambitious railway projects were introduced, in particular by Abdulhamid II. And many wars during the World War I damaged considerably the network in many provinces. Today, there are still remnants of that network in several countries.
Following the establishment of modern Turkey, the railroads received special attention. However, in the 1950s, motorways were emphasized over railways, and it wasn’t until the 2000 that trains resumed their role in Turkey’s transportation industry.
In the last twenty years, Turkish railways have been allocated a great deal of investment and modernized significantly. Turkey even opened its high-speed train into service in 2009 between Ankara-Eskişehir being the 6th high-speed operation in Europe and 8th in the world.
Trains in Turkey
Attractiveness of trains is increasing in Turkey in the last years thanks to the well maintained infrastructure and railway vehicles, in particular the high speed trains.
So, which cities or regions are you able travel by train in Turkey? There are basically four types of trains you can travel by in Turkey: international trains, mainline trains, regional trains and high-speed trains.
Mainline Trains in Turkey
There are more than 10 long-distance trains providing services in different parts of Turkey. In most of the long-distance trains, choices of sleeper cabins, couchette cabins and bare seats are available.
Izmir Blue Train: İzmir-Ankara, travel time 13 hours 40 min.
Konya Blue Train: Konya-İzmir, travel time 12,5 hours
Aegean Express: Eskişehir-Balıkesir/Basmane, travel time 11,5 hours
Euphrates Express: Adana-Elazığ, travel time 10 hours
