Rail transport in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Turkey 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 (TCDD) (Turkish State Railways
) which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight and passenger trains. A number of other companies operate suburban passenger trains in urban conurbations.
Native railway industry extends to the production of locomotives, passenger vehicles and freight wagons; some vehicles are also produced through licensing agreements and cooperation with foreign countries.
In the early 21st century, major infrastructural projects were initiated; such as the construction of a high-speed railway network
as well as a tunnel under the Bosphorus strait which will connect Europe
and Anatolia
by rail for the first time.
Turkey is a member of the International Union of Railways
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
for Turkey is 75.
As with other countries, rapid expansion followed; by 1922 over 8000 km of lines had been constructed in the Ottoman Empire.In the Ottoman Empire: some parts of lines extending into the middle east would not be incorporated into the Turkish State on its creation At the birth of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, there were 3,660 km of standard gauge lines, of which 1,378 km were state-owned; while the lines owned by foreign investors were eventually nationalized starting from 1927. The railways were considered an essential part of the state by the government of the Republic, and continued to expand with new railway projects - over 3000 km of new tracks were built in Turkey between 1923 and 1940. Railways were constructed serving mines, agriculture, people and ports; at the same time more lines serving eastern Anatolia were built, in their part helping to tie Turkey together as a functioning state.
In the years following World War II, the emphasis in transportation shifted to asphalt road and highway construction; it was not until the end of the 20th century that railways returned to favour with major passenger infrastructure projects being initiated, and five thousand kilometres of new lines planned for construction.
Electrified lines run from Kapıkule
on the Bulgarian border via Istanbul to Ankara, and from Divriği
via Malatya
to İskenderun
on the Mediterranean coast. Additionally, Sivas and İzmir
have electrified networks.
network is underway; Istanbul is to be connected via Eskişehir
and Polatlı
to Ankara, and Ankara to Sivas. A line from Polatlı to Konya is also being constructed, making Polatlı a junction on the high speed network.
Lines are also planned from Polatlı via Afyon to Izmir
, from Yerköy
(on the line from Ankara to Sivas) to Kayseri
, from Osmaneli
(on the Istanbul-Polatlı section) to Bursa, and to Edirne
on Turkey's European border.
The first completed section of the high-speed line between Ankara and Eskişehir was openened by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
on March 13, 2009.
There are also metro and other rapid systems in Ankara (Ankara Metro), Adana (Adana Metro
) opened to service in May 2010; 14 km long with 13 stations, Antalya (Antalya Tramway), Bursa (Bursaray
), Eskisehir (Estram), Gaziantep (Gaziray), Izmir (Izmir Metro
), Kayseri (Kayseray
), and Konya (Konya Tramway).
railway tunnel across the Bosphorus strait. The tunnel will be suitable for both national and international express, freight, and mass transit trains. The project is expected to be completed by 2011.
The Iranian rail network is connected to the Turkish rail network via the Lake Van
train ferry
close to the border - which creates a serious bottleneck.Not only do trains need to be split for ferry transport, but the 91km water journey takes 5 hours. (See Economic and social commissione for Asia and the Pacific: Development of the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor of asia-europe routes United Nations, page 42, Peter Hodgkinson www.unescap.org In 2007 an agreement was made to create a rail link between the two countries.
A new connection to the Caucasus region and Central Asia via Georgia and Azerbaijan is planned (see the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway); the line will involve a break of gauge from 1435 mm to 1520 mm. This railway by-passes the Kars–Gyumri–Tbilisi railway line that connected Turkey to Armenia which was closed in 1993 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War
; in 2009 the possibility of re-opening the line was stated by the Armenian transport minister.
that were left within the borders of the Republic of Turkey whose boundaries were defined with the Treaty of Lausanne
in 1923. Additionally, major ports are also operated by the company.
(Türkiye Demiryolu Makinaları Sanayii A.Ş.) produces and repairs freight wagons, TUVASAS
(Türkiye Vagon Sanayi A.Ş.) manufactures coaching stock as well as diesel hydraulic railcars, and has a technology transfer agreement with Rotem
of Korea to manufacture Diesel multiple units as well as a joint venture with Rotem, EUROTEM
, to outfit and test high-speed train sets and suburban trains., and TÜLOMSAŞ
(Türkiye Lokomotif ve Motor Sanayi A.Ş.) which produces diesel and electric locomotives and related components; the company has produced locomotives under license from numerous companies over the years, including Krauss-Maffei
, GM-EMD, Toshiba
and Alstom
.
The most common rail weight is ~49 kg/m with 69% of track, the remainder being of lighter weight rail, except for 150 km of 60 kg/m rail. Similarly, 69% of sleepers are of the concrete type, with the remainder being wood (~19%) and steel (~12%). Over 700 tunnels exist, with a total length of 181 km; the majority (~76%) are under 1 km long and only one of them has a length of over 4 km. 1,316 steel bridges (average length 22 m) and over 10,000 concrete bridges (average length 2.9 m) exist, the majority (99%) are suitabal for axle loads over 20 t, with 40% allowing axle loads of 22.5 tonnes.
In 2008, there were 64 electric locomotives and 549 diesel locomotives in Turkey, with availabilities of 81 and 84 percent, respectively. Additionally, 50 steam locomotives exist, of which 2 are kept in active order. In addition to the 83 EMUs and 44 DMUs for passenger transport, there were 995 coaches in Turkey (830 of which were in working order.) Over 17,000 wagons of various types make up the rest of the fleet.
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transport and Communication. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD) (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...
) which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight and passenger trains. A number of other companies operate suburban passenger trains in urban conurbations.
Native railway industry extends to the production of locomotives, passenger vehicles and freight wagons; some vehicles are also produced through licensing agreements and cooperation with foreign countries.
In the early 21st century, major infrastructural projects were initiated; such as the construction of a high-speed railway network
High-speed rail in Turkey
The Turkish State Railways started building high-speed rail lines in 2003. The first section of the line, between Ankara and Eskişehir, was inaugurated on March 13, 2009...
as well as a tunnel under the Bosphorus strait which will connect Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
by rail for the first time.
Turkey is a member of the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Turkey is 75.
History
Construction of the first railway line in Turkey began in 1856, being constructed by a British company that had gained permission from the Ottoman Empire. Later, French and German companies also constructed lines - the motivation was not only economic, the region had a strategically important position as a trade route between Europe and Asia.As with other countries, rapid expansion followed; by 1922 over 8000 km of lines had been constructed in the Ottoman Empire.In the Ottoman Empire: some parts of lines extending into the middle east would not be incorporated into the Turkish State on its creation At the birth of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, there were 3,660 km of standard gauge lines, of which 1,378 km were state-owned; while the lines owned by foreign investors were eventually nationalized starting from 1927. The railways were considered an essential part of the state by the government of the Republic, and continued to expand with new railway projects - over 3000 km of new tracks were built in Turkey between 1923 and 1940. Railways were constructed serving mines, agriculture, people and ports; at the same time more lines serving eastern Anatolia were built, in their part helping to tie Turkey together as a functioning state.
In the years following World War II, the emphasis in transportation shifted to asphalt road and highway construction; it was not until the end of the 20th century that railways returned to favour with major passenger infrastructure projects being initiated, and five thousand kilometres of new lines planned for construction.
Future restructuring
The Turkish State Railways (TCDD) may be split with the passenger and freight operations being part of a new company named DETAŞ (Demiryolu Taşımacılığı Anonim Şirketi, meaning Railway Transport Company) with TCDD left as a track and infrastructure operator. This restructuring will also allow other rail operators to run trains on TCDD tracks by means of track access charges, and will end the monopoly of TCDD.Network
In 2008, Turkey had 10,991 km of railway lines, of which 95% were single-tracked8697km of lines, 21% of the network was electrified and 28% signalled. Due to the mountainous geography of the country, the network has many steep gradients and sharp curves.Electrified lines run from 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....
on the Bulgarian border via Istanbul to Ankara, and from Divriği
Divrigi
Divriği is a town and a district of Sivas Province of Turkey. The town lies on gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu river....
via Malatya
Malatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
to İskenderun
Iskenderun
İskenderun is a city and urban district in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The current mayor is Yusuf Hamit Civelek .-Names:...
on the Mediterranean coast. Additionally, Sivas and 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...
have electrified networks.
High-speed rail lines
As of 2009, a program of building a national high-speed railHigh-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...
network is underway; Istanbul is to be connected 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...
and 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 Ankara, and Ankara to Sivas. A line from Polatlı to Konya is also being constructed, making Polatlı a junction on the high speed network.
Lines are also planned from Polatlı via Afyon to 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...
, from 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 :...
(on the line from Ankara to Sivas) to Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri 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...
, from Osmaneli
Osmaneli
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 ....
(on the Istanbul-Polatlı section) to Bursa, and to Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
on Turkey's European border.
The first completed section of the high-speed line between Ankara and Eskişehir was openened by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
on March 13, 2009.
Urban transport
Trams have operated in Istanbul since 1872, first being pulled by horses, and after 1912 by electric power. The system was run by the Dersaadet Tramway Company during the Ottoman period. In the 1960s, trams were removed from the streets of Istanbul in favour of wheeled vehicles such as buses and trolleybuses. However, the decision for returning to rail-based transportation solutions was made in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and in 1988 Istanbul Ulaşım was created as a subsidiary.There are also metro and other rapid systems in Ankara (Ankara Metro), Adana (Adana Metro
Adana Metro
Adana Metro is a rail rapid transit system extending 14 km on the north-south corridor of Adana. It has 13 stations and can transport 21,600 passengers per hour one-way...
) opened to service in May 2010; 14 km long with 13 stations, Antalya (Antalya Tramway), Bursa (Bursaray
Bursaray
BursaRay is a metro system built in 2000 by TÜVASAŞ. It is the rapid transit system of Bursa, Turkey."Bursaray" will extend about 50 km in the future.-External links:* * *...
), Eskisehir (Estram), Gaziantep (Gaziray), Izmir (Izmir Metro
Izmir Metro
İzmir Metro is a subway network in İzmir, Turkey that is constantly being extended with new stations being put in service. The network, consisting of one line, starts from Üçyol station in Hatay in the southern portion of the metropolitan area and runs towards northeast to end in Bornova...
), Kayseri (Kayseray
Kayseray
Kayseray is the new light rail street-tram system being built for the city of Kayseri in Turkey. The tracks and station structures are currently under construction, and should be completed fully before 2009.-History:...
), and Konya (Konya Tramway).
Railway across the Bosporus straits
The Marmaray project aims to provide a mass transit system to Istanbul by connecting the European and Asian subway and railway lines of the city through the world's deepest immersed tubeImmersed 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 across the Bosphorus strait. The tunnel will be suitable for both national and international express, freight, and mass transit trains. The project is expected to be completed by 2011.
Inter-state lines
Turkey has railway links with Bulgaria, Greece and Syria via standard gauge lines. Trains to Iraq must be routed via Syria.The Iranian rail network is connected to the Turkish rail network via the Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
train ferry
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
close to the border - which creates a serious bottleneck.Not only do trains need to be split for ferry transport, but the 91km water journey takes 5 hours. (See Economic and social commissione for Asia and the Pacific: Development of the Trans-Asian Railway in the southern corridor of asia-europe routes United Nations, page 42, Peter Hodgkinson www.unescap.org In 2007 an agreement was made to create a rail link between the two countries.
A new connection to the Caucasus region and Central Asia via Georgia and Azerbaijan is planned (see the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway); the line will involve a break of gauge from 1435 mm to 1520 mm. This railway by-passes the Kars–Gyumri–Tbilisi railway line that connected Turkey to Armenia which was closed in 1993 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
; in 2009 the possibility of re-opening the line was stated by the Armenian transport minister.
Turkish State Railways
In combination with its affiliates, the State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları, TCDD) have a monopoly on passengerExcluding urban mass transit systems, and tram networks. and freight rail transportation, as well as the manufacturing of rolling stock and tracks. The organization was created in 1927 to operate the former railway lines of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
that were left within the borders of the Republic of Turkey whose boundaries were defined with the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
in 1923. Additionally, major ports are also operated by the company.
Affiliated companies
Three affiliated companies of the TCDD produce rolling stock for the Turkish railway system: TÜDEMSAŞTÜDEMSAŞ
Türkiye Demiryolu Makinaları Sanayi A.Ş. or TÜDEMSAŞ is a rail car builder headquartered in Sivas, Turkey. The company is a government owned corporation that was founded in 1939. TÜDEMSAŞ is the main supplier of freight cars for the Turkish State Railways. The Y32 bogi was designed by TÜDEMSAŞ....
(Türkiye Demiryolu Makinaları Sanayii A.Ş.) produces and repairs freight wagons, TUVASAS
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...
(Türkiye Vagon Sanayi A.Ş.) manufactures coaching stock as well as diesel hydraulic railcars, and has a technology transfer agreement with Rotem
Rotem
Hyundai Rotem is a South Korean company manufacturing rolling stock, defense products and plant equipment. It is part of the Hyundai Motor Group...
of Korea to manufacture Diesel multiple units as well as a joint venture with Rotem, 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....
, to outfit and test high-speed train sets and suburban trains., and TÜLOMSAŞ
Tülomsas
TÜLOMSAŞ is a locomotive and wagon builder in Turkey. It is the main locomotive supplier of the Turkish State Railways and is one of the 2 companies that designs and assembles locomotives in Turkey along with EUROTEM. TÜLOMSAŞ is the largest company in Turkey in rail transport...
(Türkiye Lokomotif ve Motor Sanayi A.Ş.) which produces diesel and electric locomotives and related components; the company has produced locomotives under license from numerous companies over the years, including Krauss-Maffei
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
, GM-EMD, Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
and Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
.
Statistical information
As of 2008, there were 8,699 km of main railway lines in Turkey, of which 5% are double tracked, 28% are electrified and 25% are signalled; there are also 2,306 km of sidings.The most common rail weight is ~49 kg/m with 69% of track, the remainder being of lighter weight rail, except for 150 km of 60 kg/m rail. Similarly, 69% of sleepers are of the concrete type, with the remainder being wood (~19%) and steel (~12%). Over 700 tunnels exist, with a total length of 181 km; the majority (~76%) are under 1 km long and only one of them has a length of over 4 km. 1,316 steel bridges (average length 22 m) and over 10,000 concrete bridges (average length 2.9 m) exist, the majority (99%) are suitabal for axle loads over 20 t, with 40% allowing axle loads of 22.5 tonnes.
In 2008, there were 64 electric locomotives and 549 diesel locomotives in Turkey, with availabilities of 81 and 84 percent, respectively. Additionally, 50 steam locomotives exist, of which 2 are kept in active order. In addition to the 83 EMUs and 44 DMUs for passenger transport, there were 995 coaches in Turkey (830 of which were in working order.) Over 17,000 wagons of various types make up the rest of the fleet.