High-speed rail in Turkey
Encyclopedia
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...
started building high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
lines in 2003. The first section of the line, between 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....
and 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...
, was inaugurated on March 13, 2009. It is a part of the 533 km Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to 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....
high-speed rail line.
The construction of three separate high-speed lines from Ankara to Istanbul, Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
and Sivas, as well as taking an Ankara–Izmir
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...
line to the launch stage, form part of the Turkish Ministry of Transport's strategic aims and targets. Turkey plans to construct a network of high-speed lines in the early part of the 21st century, targeting a 1500 km network of high-speed lines by 2013 and a 4000 km network by the year 2023.
The Marmaray project, which consists of a rail transport network around Istanbul and the world's deepest immersed tube
Immersed tube
An immersed tube is a kind of underwater tunnel composed of segments, constructed elsewhere and floated to the tunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together. They are commonly used for road and rail crossings of rivers, estuaries and sea channels/harbours...
railway tunnel under the Bosphorus strait, is also under construction. The Marmaray tunnel will connect the subway and railway lines on the European and Asian parts of Istanbul and Turkey, respectively.
Ankara – Istanbul high-speed line
Prior to the introduction of the high-speed line, the population centres of IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(12 million) 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....
(5 million) were connected by a 576 km long railway line, of which only 110 km was double tracked. The whole line was electrified, but low radius turns and poor track quality made high-speed rail transport impossible. Prior to the upgrading of this line in 2006, the railway's market share of Istanbul to Ankara passenger transit was 10%, with a travel time of ~6.5 hours.
In 1994, an initial plan to upgrade the existing line was launched, named the "Ankara–Istanbul Railway Line Rehabilitation Project." Smoothing of curves to allow running at around 100 km/h, and some track doubling were planned. The design specifications were not expected to meet future needs and no progress was made until 1999, when funding was obtained for a line between Esenkent and Eskişehir, to be operated at 200 km/h. Subsequently, this developed into the high speed line project with the expected line speed raised to 250 km/h. Contracts for this line were signed in 2000.
The development of the 1994 "railway rehabilitation project" forms the first section of the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed line, and is expected to reduce in half the travelling time between the two cities, with hopes to capture a far greater share (78%) of the passenger transportation market between the two cities.
Design and construction
The first high-speed railroad to be built in Turkey will connect the county's largest conurbations of AnkaraAnkara
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....
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
via 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...
, with a junction at Polatlı
Polatli
Polatlı is a city and a district in Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, 80 km west of the Turkish capital Ankara, on the road to Eskişehir. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 117,473 of which 98,605 live in the city of Polatlı...
to the Ankara-Konya high-speed line.
The line is 533 km long, double tracked, electrified, and signalled, to ETCS level 1 standard and is independent of the original Ankara to Istanbul line. The design speed is 250 km/h.
The first part of the line to be constructed (Phase 1) was the Ankara to Eskişehir section, specifically between Sincan and İnönü, scheduled to open in 2006. The second phase was scheduled to open in 2008 and included more difficult terrain which covers the path between İnönü and Köseköy, extending to Gebze
Gebze
Gebze is an industrial city in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Situated 30 miles east of Istanbul on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest district of Kocaeli; Gebze has experienced rapid growth in recent years- from 159,116 in 1990, to 282,444 in 2009. Gebze accounts for 15% of...
close to Istanbul.
| Line section | Length (km) | Start / opening dateStart of construction / Official opening | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankara – Sincan | 24 | As of 2009, the existing track between Ankara and Esenkent is used until the completion of a dedicated high-speed line | |
| Sincan – Esenkent | 15 | 2008-2010 | |
| Esenkent – Eskişehir | 206 | 2004–2009 | Infrastructure includes: 2 road bridges and 30 road underpasses, 7 railway bridges, and 13 river crossings. 4 viaducts (total length over 4 km), and 1 tunnel (471 m). First test runs in April 2007. |
| Eskişehir station | 3.4 km | 2008- | To avoid congestion problems in the city of Eskişehir, a tunnel and cutting project is being undertaken. 2240 m of covered tunnel consisting of 2 high-speed lines, 2 conventional lines, and 1 freight line, plus 1151 m of excavated track (U shape) with 2 high-speed tracks and 1 freight track. |
| Eskişehir – Inönü | 30 | 2008-2010 | |
| Inönü – Vezirhan | 54 | 2008-2010 (estimated) | |
| Vezirhan – Köseköy | 104 | 2008-2010 (estimated) | |
| Köseköy – Gebze | 56 | To be completed as part of phase 2 of the line | |
| Gebze – Haydarpaşa (Istanbul) | 44 | The final section of the track from Gebze to Istanbul falls within the scope of the Marmaray project. |
Operation and rolling stock
The Ankara to Eskişehir section officially opened on March 13, 2009.The line is 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...
, using the TCDD HT65000 6-car train sets constructed by the Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
(CAF) of Spain.
On November 13, 2009, a high-speed train derailed near Eskişehir.
Ankara – Konya high-speed line
The second high-speed line construction project in Turkey was a line from PolatlıPolatli
Polatlı is a city and a district in Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, 80 km west of the Turkish capital Ankara, on the road to Eskişehir. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 117,473 of which 98,605 live in the city of Polatlı...
on the Ankara to Istanbul line to Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
.
Prior to the construction of the line, journeys between Ankara and Konya took over 10 hours, travelling from Ankara via Eskişehir and Afyon, with a total length of nearly 1000 km.There was no direct connection between Ankara and Konya by rail The new high-speed line is 320 km in length, with a journey time of 1 hour and 15 minutes. 212 km of new track is constructed via Polatlı and Konya, with a design permitting up to 350 km/h of high-speed rail transport. ETCS Level 2 will be used.
Construction was split into two phases: Phase 1 was the 100 km section between Ankara and Polatlı, while Phase 2 was the 112 km section between Polatlı and Konya.
The line includes a tunnel of 2030m. The first test train ran in December 2010; Revenue services began on August 24, 2011. Currently, same CAF trains which are used on Ankara-Eskisehir line are running on this line with 250 km/h maximum speed. In the future, TCDD will procure 6 more sets with up to 350 km/h.
The journey time between the two cities (Ankara-Konya) is 1 and a half hours, dropping to 1 hour and 15 minutes in the future. Previously the journey time was 10 hours and 30 minutes. There will be 10 trains a day, though this will rise to one per hour in the future.
Ankara – Sivas line
Prior to the construction of the high-speed line, the railway line length between Ankara and Sivas was 602 km, primarily single-tracked, with a travel time of 12 hours. The new high-speed line will be double-tracked and have a length of 466 km eastwards from Ankara to Sivas via KırıkkaleKirikkale
Kırıkkale is the capital of the Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is located 80 km east of Ankara. According to the 2000 census, the population of the province is 280,834, of which 192,705 live in the city of Kırıkkale...
, Yerköy
Yerköy
Yerköy is a town and district of Yozgat Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 48,889 of which 32,228 live in the town of Yerköy.- 2009 Great Union Party's rally :...
and Yozgat
Yozgat
Yozgat is a city and the capital district of Yozgat province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2009 census, population of the district is 113,614 of which 73,835 live in the city of Yozgat.-History:...
and constructed for the most part to the same 250 km/h operational design as the previous lines. The infrastructure includes 6 viaducts (with a total length over 3 km), 11 tunnels (including one of ~3 km in length), and 67 bridges.
The route study was completed by the end of 2006, and put up for tender in two parts; separated at the 174 km mark from Ankara at Yerköy.
Sivas – Kars line
An extension eastwards to KarsKars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
from the Ankara – Sivas line is planned (a feasibility study having been started in 2006), passing through Erzincan
Erzincan
-Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used...
and Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
. The line is expected to be built in three phases. It will be electrified and double-tracked based on the 250 km/h standard.
Ankara – Izmir line
Plans for a high-speed line from İzmirIzmir
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 have been approved. The line will pass though Afyon
Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along the Akarçay River. Elevation...
to meet the high-speed line from Ankara to Istanbul near Polatlı. It will have a length of 606 km, with a projected running speed of 250 km/h, and is scheduled to be complete by 2011.
The line's different steps are : Ankara-Polatlı-Afyon-Uşak-İzmir. The travel will take 3 hours and 20 minutes.
The line is scheduled to be finished and operating by 2015. The works are expected to start in 2012 until 2015. It was firstly planned to be finished by 2013.
There, differents technical features of the line :
Length: 624 km (Turgutlu-Kemalpaşa) --- Speed: 250 km/h ---Number of tunnels: 13 --- Total tunnel length: 15.355 Meters --- Longest tunnel: 4.450 Me --- Number of viaducs: 13 --- Number of bridges: 189
Ankara – Samsun line
A high-speed line from SamsunSamsun
Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
to Ankara have been approved. Planning phase will be completed by the end of 2011.
Bursa – Osmaneli line
A 105.5 km line between Bursa and OsmaneliOsmaneli
Osmaneli is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey with a population of 13,816 . The mayor is Mustafa Selahettin Çetintaş ....
via Ayazma will connect with the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed line at Osmaneli.
Istanbul – Edirne line
The Ankara to Istanbul high-speed line is to be extended 230 km from Halkalı (a western suburb of Istanbul) all the way to Turkey's borders with BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
at the vicinity of Kapıkule
Kapikule
Kapıkule is the Turkish frontier town in Edirne Province on the border of Turkey and Bulgaria. Its counterpart on the Bulgarian side is Kapitan Andreevo. Together, they are the busiest land border crossing point in the world and the busiest in Europe....
in the Edirne Province
Edirne Province
Edirne Province is the westernmost province of Turkey, located in Eastern Thrace along the Greek and Bulgarian border. The city's wealth, population and importance increased after it was declared as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire...
.
Related infrastructure projects
The Marmaray project, which will connect the EuropeanThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and Asian
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
lines of the Istanbul Metro
Istanbul Metro
The Istanbul Metro, or the M2, is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 2000, it now includes 13 stations. The system currently consists of a single north-south line...
, will also connect the Thracian and Anatolian railway lines in Turkey via the world's deepest immersed-tube railway tunnel across the Bosphorus strait.
A new high-speed rail terminus station is to be built in Ankara (2009–2010), which is to be funded as a public private partnership, using the Build-Operate-Transfer
Build-Operate-Transfer
Build-own-operate-transfer or build-operate-transfer is a form of project financing, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct, and operate a facility stated in the concession contract...
model. Additionally, new stations are to be constructed in Istanbul, Izmir, Edirne, Trabzon, Erzurum, Erzincan, Sivas, Kayseri, Antalya, Afyon and Polatlı.
Lines in the planning phase
- KayseriKayseriKayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
to YerköyYerköyYerköy is a town and district of Yozgat Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 48,889 of which 32,228 live in the town of Yerköy.- 2009 Great Union Party's rally :...
line - branching from the Ankara – Sivas high-speed line.
- Eskişehir to Antalya line via Afyon.
Future extension plans
Other projected high-speed rail lines include:- Extension from Konya to MersinMersin-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...
.
TREVI ETR 500 test trains
The first high-speed trains to run on Turkish rails were two ETR 500
ETR 500
ETR 500 is a family of Italian high-speed trains introduced in 1993.Designed under the aegis of the Ferrovie dello Stato , it is now operated by Trenitalia on RFI tracks.-History:...
train sets rented from Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and were used for testing the completed part of the high-speed railway network, between 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....
, on April 23, 2007. During the tests, ETR 500 Y2 achieved the current rail speed record in Turkey, reaching 303 km/h.
CAF TCDD HT65000
The first ten TCDD HT65000 high-speed train sets were purchased from CAF
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and can reach a maximum speed of 260 km/h.
EUROTEM
EUROTEM
EUROTEM, alternatively Hyundai EURotem, is a joint enterprise between Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and TÜVASAŞ of Turkey which was founded in 2006 and started production in December 2007....
, alternatively Hyundai EURotem, is a joint enterprise between Hyundai Rotem of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and TÜVASAŞ
TÜVASAS
Türkiye Vagon Sanayi Anonim Şirketi, more commonly known as TÜVASAŞ, is a railcar manufacturer based in Adapazarı. TÜVASAŞ is responsible for the construction, refurbishment and repair of railcars for the Turkish State Railways, and is a 100% shareholding of the Turkish State Railways, reporting...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
which was established in 2006 and started production in December 2007. The Hyundai EURotem factory in Adapazarı
Adapazari
Adapazarı is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country, known as the Marmara Region. As of 2010, the city has a population of 560,876 ...
, Turkey, was built as the Hızlı Tren Fabrikası (High-Speed Train Factory) with the purpose of manufacturing the next generation of Turkey's high-speed train sets.
See also
- Turkish State RailwaysTurkish State RailwaysThe State Railways of the Turkish Republic or TCDD is the government owned, national railway carrier in the Republic of Turkey, headquartered in Ankara...
- Rail transport in TurkeyRail transport in TurkeyTurkey has a well-developed, state-owned railway system built to standard gauge which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight...
- History of rail transport in TurkeyHistory of rail transport in TurkeyThe history of rail transport in Turkey began with the start of the placement in 1856 of a railway line between Izmir and Aydın. The first finished Ottoman railway line was a line between Köstence and Boğazköy built in 1859-1860.The state corporation that manages the Turkish railway system,...
- Istanbul-Ankara High Speed Rail LineIstanbul-Ankara High Speed Rail LineThe Istanbul-Ankara High Speed Rail Line is a railway line for High Speed Rail between Haydarpasa Terminal in Istanbul and Ankara Railway Station in Ankara. The line is completed from Ankara to Eskişehir, and under construction from Eskişehir to Istanbul....