The 9th of September Express was an overnight train, operated by the Turkish State Railways

Turkish State Railways

The State Railways of the Turkish Republic or TCDD is the government owned, national railway carrier in the Republic of Turkey, headquartered in Ankara...

, from Basmane Terminal

İzmir Basmane Terminal

The İzmir Basmane Terminal is one of the two main railway stations in İzmir, the other being Alsancak. The station is serviced by regional train service going to Nazilli, Aydın, Ödemiş, Tire and Söke.-History:...

, İzmir

Izmir

Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...

 to Ankara Central Station, Ankara

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....

. The name of the service refers to 9 September 1922, the date on which the Greek occupation of İzmir ended after World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

The train was one of the 3 daily trains from İzmir to Ankara. The journey from İzmir to Ankara takes 13 hours and 25 minutes, while the journey from Ankara to İzmir takes 13 hours and 6 minutes. The train serviced 6 provincial capitals: İzmir

Izmir

Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...

, Manisa

Manisa

Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in...

, Balıkesir

Balikesir

Balıkesir is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 265,747 inhabitants. Old name is Karesi or Karasi.- History :...

, Kütahya

Kütahya

Kütahya is a city in western Turkey with 212,444 inhabitants , lying on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Kütahya Province, inhabited by some 517 804 people...

, Eskişehir

Eskisehir

Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...

 and Ankara

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....

.

The Karesi Express

Karesi Express

The Karesi Express is an over night train, operating between Alsancak Terminal, İzmir and Central Station, Ankara. The train is one of two current train services between İzmir and Ankara. The eastbound journey takes about 14 hours and 16 minutes, while the westbound journey takes about 14 hours and...

 operated between İzmir and Ankara since 1938. However the Karesi had no sleeping cars. Demand for more service between the two cities rose, so on April 1, 1972 the 9th of September Express made its first journey in about 14 hours. In 1980 the İzmir Blue Train

İzmir Blue Train

The İzmir Blue Train is one of the 3, still operating, "Blue Train" services. The train operates between Alsancak Terminal in İzmir and Central Station in Ankara....

was added making 3 daily trains between İzmir and Ankara. On January 20, 2010 the 9th of September Express was discontinued, due to low ridership.

External links

• Trains and Railways of Turkey - History of Turkish Railways