The Karesi Express is an over night train, operating between Alsancak Terminal, 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...

 and 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 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 45 minutes. The Karesi Express services 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....

.

When 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...

 opened the Balıkesir-Kütahya rail line on April 23, 1938 (connecting the former SCP and the CFOA lines), rail travel between İzmir and Ankara was possible. Ankara is the capital 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...

 while İzmir is the 3rd largest city in Turkey (2nd largest at the time), making transport between the two cities heavy. On April 23, 1938 the 9th of September express made its first run from İzmir to Ankara. The all pullman train made the 824 km long journey in about 18 hours. On April 1, 1972, another train was put into service between İzmir and Ankara: the 9th of September Express

9th of September Express

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 train was one...

. This train however had a sleeping car

Sleeping car

The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...

. In 1980 the third train was put in service: 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....

.

Name

The name "Karaesi Express" comes from the beylik of Karasi, that had its capital city in Balıkesir, a city which the Karesi Express passes through.

Consist

The consist of he train has changed many times through the years, since the first 4 car train left Ankara in 1938. These changes usually happen because of other trains being put into or removed from service. Today the consist usually is:

• DE22000
  TCDD DE22000
  TCDD DE 22000 are a type of diesel locomotive built for operations on Turkish State Railways by Tülomsaş on license from General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel, based on EMD G26CW-2. A total of 86 locomotives were built between 1985–1989.-External links:* *...
  
   or DE24000
  TCDD DE24000
  TCDD DE 24000 are a type of diesel locomotive built for operations on Turkish State Railways by Tülomsaş. A total of 218 units were built between 1970-84 on license from Matériel de Traction Electrique of France...
  
  
• TVS2000 Generator Car
• 3 TVS2000 Coaches
• K70 Dining Car
• 2 TVS2000 Coaches
• 2 K60 Couchettes

Between 2001 and 2009 the consist was:

• DE22000
• TVS2000 Generator Car
• 4 Intercity coaches
• Intercity diner
• Intercity couchette

The first consist that began service on April 23, 1938 consisted of:

• Coach
• Coach
• Diner/Coach
• Couchette