The Eastern Express is an overnight passenger train operated by Turkish State Railways. The train runs 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 first train ran in 1936 from Istanbul's Haydarpaşa Terminal to Çetinkaya.
Haydarpaşa station is a railway station in Istanbul, that was, until 2012 the main city terminal for trains travelling to and from the Anatolian side of Turkey. It used to be Turkey's busiest railway station. The station building still houses the headquarters for District 1 of the State Railways but since a fire in 2010 the station has not been in use and its future remains uncertain.
The Adapazarı Express officially listed as the Haydarpaşa-Adapazarı Regional was a regional rail service, that ran between Istanbul and Adapazarı. For the majority of its time in service, it was the second-busiest route of the Turkish State Railways, after the Adana-Mersin Regional. Trains served a heavily populated region on the north-east shores of the Sea of Marmara and the Sakarya plain. Service was frequent with 12 trains daily in each direction in 2012. The Regional service also passed through important districts of Istanbul such as Kadıköy, Maltepe, Kartal, Pendik, Tuzla as well as Gebze, İzmit and Adapazarı. Because of the cities, the train service earned the nickname Metropolitan Express. The train used to service Coşkunoğulları station until the TOE factory was closed in 1991. It also serviced Acısu, Tepetarla and Kurtköy stations until 1998. Due to the construction of the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway, the Haydarpaşa-Adapazarı Regional service was discontinued on 1 February 2012 in order to upgrade the existing railway line. On 5 January 2015 service between Arifiye and Pendik was reopened with a new, faster regional service known as the Ada Express.
The Friendship Express, was an international InterCity train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and TrainOSE from July 2005 to February 2011, linking Istanbul's Sirkeci Terminal, Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece. Eastbound trains departed daily at 19:48 from Thessaloniki arriving to Istanbul at 08:07. Westbound trains departed at 20:30 from Istanbul, arriving to Thessaloniki at 09:33.
The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey, abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey, as well as the planning and construction of new lines. TCDD was formed on 4 June 1929 as part of the nationalisation of railways in Turkey.
The Ankara Express is a daily overnight intercity passenger train, operated by TCDD Taşımacılık, between Istanbul and Ankara, with major stops at İzmit and Eskişehir. The train makes the 610.3 km (379.2 mi) long journey in about 8 and-a-half hours.
The Bosphorus Express, also known as the Trans Balkan Express, is an international passenger train running between Istanbul, Turkey and Bucharest, Romania. It runs together with the Istanbul-Sofia Express as far as Dimitrovgrad upon entering Bulgaria, where the latter continues to Sofia. The train is jointly operated by three national railways: the TCDD Taşımacılık (TCDD), the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ), and the Romanian State Railways (CFR). The train serves several important cities including Istanbul, Edirne, Stara Zagora, and Bucharest.
The 9th of September Express was an overnight train, operated by the Turkish State Railways, from Basmane Terminal, İzmir to Ankara Central Station, Ankara. The name of the service refers to 9 September 1922, the date on which the Greek occupation of İzmir ended after World War I.
The Taurus Express is a passenger train operating daily between Konya and Adana. In the past it was a premier overnight passenger train operated by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits between Istanbul and Baghdad. After 1972, passengers could travel down to Basra via connection to the Express 2 made at Baghdad Central Station. However, service was suspended in 2003, due to the outbreak of war in Iraq. In 2012, the State Railways renewed service between Eskişehir and Adana and will once again service Istanbul when track work in the city is complete. There is a chance that the train may continue to its former terminus in Baghdad in the future, but the possibility remains low for the time being.
The Karesi Express(Turkish: Karesi Ekspresi) was an overnight train, operating between Alsancak Terminal, İzmir and Central Station, Ankara. The train was one of two current train services between İzmir and Ankara. The eastbound journey took about 14 hours and 16 minutes, while the westbound journey took about 14 hours and 45 minutes. The Karesi Express serviced 6 provincial capitals: İzmir, Manisa, Balıkesir, Kütahya, Eskişehir and Ankara.
Şakirpaşa railway station is a railway station in Seyhan, Adana, on the Adana-Mersin railway. The station consists of two side platforms serving two tracks. There is no station building, only a small shelter on each platform. TCDD Taşımacılık operates frequent regional rail service from Mersin to Adana, along with further service to İskenderun and İslahiye. Together with regional trains, two intercity trains stop at Şakirpaşa as well; the Erciyes Express to Kayseri and the Taurus Express to Konya.
TCDD Transport is a government-owned railway company responsible for the operations of most passenger and freight rail in Turkey. The company was formed on 14 June 2016, splitting off from the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to take over railway operations, while TCDD would continue to administer railway infrastructure. TCDD Taşımacılık officially began operations on 1 January 2017.
The Boğaziçi Express was a named passenger train operated between Istanbul and Ankara until 2012, when it was shortened between Arifiye and Ankara then later Arifiye to Eskişehir. The train was discontinued on 24 July 2014 and replaced by high-speed YHT trains.
The 6th of September Express is a 368 km (229 mi) long daily passenger train operated by TCDD Taşımacılık. The train runs from Basmane Terminal in İzmir to Soma, Manisa in western Turkey. The train provides local service on between the two destinations and the total scheduled time of a trip is 3 hours and 33 minutes.
The Istanbul-Sofia Express is an international passenger train operating daily between Istanbul, Turkey and Sofia, Bulgaria. The train runs 571.2 km (354.9 mi) from Halkalı station in Istanbul, west to Sofia Central Station in Sofia. The first train departed Halkalı station at 22:40 on 21 February 2017, carrying 22 passengers. The Istanbul-Sofia Express is the successor to the Balkan Express, which operated between Istanbul and Belgrade, Serbia until June 2013.
The Uşak Express, numbered B37, is a 168 km (104 mi) long regional passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways, running from Basmane Terminal in İzmir to the town of Uşak. The train operates daily in each direction. Schedulled journey time is 5 hours and 35 minutes.
Çerikli railway station is a railway station in Çerikli, Turkey. The station was originally opened on 20 November 1925 by the Anatolian—Baghdad Railways and was one of the first railway stations built by the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
Niğde railway station is a railway station in Niğde, Turkey. TCDD Taşımacılık operates a daily intercity train, the Erciyes Express, from Kayseri to Adana.
The Touristic Eastern Express is a scenic passenger train operated by the TCDD Taşımacılık. The train runs from December to March eastward 1,365 km (848 mi) from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station. The train service debuted on 29 May 2019 with an official ceremony attended by government ministers. The service was established as an alternative to the regular Eastern Express, which runs the same line but was mostly sold-out weeks in advance in recent years for sightseeing purposes.
The Lake Van Express or Van Lake Express, operated by TCDD Transport is an overnight train consisting of pullman, couchettes, sleeping and dining wagons, which runs twice a week on the Ankara-Tatvan route of over 1,300 km.
