 An Istanbul-bound train at Ankara station in 2004. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | North-Central, Central, North-Eastern Anatolia |
| First service | 1936 |
| Current operator(s) | TCDD Taşımacılık |
| Former operator(s) | Turkish State Railways |
| Ridership | sleepers full |
| Route | |
| Termini | Ankara Central Station Kars Railway Station, Kars |
| Stops | 53 |
| Distance travelled | 1,310 km (814 mi) |
| Average journey time | 24 hours, 30 minutes (Eastbound) |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 11410 (Eastbound) 41409 (Westbound) |
| On-board services | |
| Disabled access | Limited |
| Seating arrangements | Coach |
| Sleeping arrangements | 1 Couchette 2 Sleeping Cars Private sleeping cars |
| Catering facilities | Dining Car |
| Baggage facilities | Baggage Car |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | TVS2000 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | Haydarpaşa-Ankara |
| Operating speed | 120 km/h (75 mph) max 80 km/h (50 mph) average |
| Track owner(s) | Turkish State Railways |
The Eastern Express (Turkish: Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways. The train runs 1,310 km (814 mi) from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars. The train was the first overnight service east of Ankara. The Eastern Express stops in 7 provincial capitals: Ankara, Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars. The train also stops in the Turkish capital: Ankara. The first train ran in 1936 from İstanbul's Haydarpaşa Terminal to Çetinkaya.
Before Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train project, the train ran between Istanbul and Kars.
History
During the 1930s, railway construction in Turkey reached its peak, where 2,846.2 km (1,769 mi) of lines were completed. Ever since the Turkish State Railways were formed in 1927, railways extended to eastern Turkey. A main line was to be constructed from Ankara to Erzurum, where it would connect with the broad gauge line to the Turkey/Soviet Union border built by the Russian Empire in 1916. Construction of the line started in 1924 (by the CFAB, TCDD took over in 1927) and reached Kayseri in 1927, Sivas in 1930 and Çetinkaya in 1936. The Eastern Express made its first run with the opening of the line to Çetinkaya. The railway finally reached Erzurum in 1939. In the same year the Eastern Express started operating from Haydarpaşa to Erzurum. By transferring to a broad gauge train in Erzurum, passengers could travel to Kars, the last Turkish city before the Soviet Union. In 1962, the broad gauge line from Erzurum-Kars-Akkaya was made standard gauge by the State Railways. The Eastern Express was extended to Kars in 1962.
Consists
The Eastern Express had many consists over the years. The Turkish steam locomotives were the source of power from 1936 to the 1970s when the diesel locomotive took over. The consist today is:
- DE 22 000, Head End Power Car, Coach, Coach, Coach, Coach, Diner, couchette, sleeper, sleeper, private cars at the end
Route
The Eastern Express starts evening and runs east through Ankara's eastern suburbs. After Kırıkkale, the train heads south-east towards Kayseri. At Kayseri the train refuels itself and has a crew change. The Eastern Express then continues east into the dusk. The route then heads north-east until Sivas. After Sivas the tracks travel through very mountainous terrain so the speed is limited. A small portion between Çetinkaya and Divriği is electrified for freight train carrying iron ore down south to the Mediterranean Sea. After Divriği the Eastern Express steadily climbs towards the Armenian Highlands. After a break in Erzurum, the train arrives at Kars towards the evening.
References
- ^ Doğu Ekspresi (Ankara Kars treni) – Rail Turkey Seyahat
- TCDD Official Site Archived 2010-08-09 at the Wayback Machine - Doğu Express August 19, 2010
- ^ The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Steam & Rail - By Colin Garratt and Max Wade-Mathews, page 400
- ^ TCDD History - Trains and Railways of Turkey
- Transcaucasus Railways - Trains and Railways of Turkey
Notes
- Sometimes DE 33 000 may be used instead
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