The Impressive Growth of High-Speed Rail in Turkey
Turkey may not be the first country many people think of when discussing high-speed rail, but it has an impressive and rapidly growing network.
Let’s take a look at the Turkish high-speed rail network and the expansion projects currently underway.
High-speed rail expansion in Turkey
Turkey’s high-speed train service, Yüksek Hızlı Tren (YHT), includes services on three dedicated high-speed railway lines, all radiating from the capital, Ankara.
These are the lines from Ankara to Istanbul, Ankara to Sivas, and Ankara to Konya.
According to Railway Gazette, Turkey is set to have a new high-speed railway line, with construction already underway on the line between Kırıkkale and the Black Sea port of Samsun.
Kırıkkale, situated 76 kilometres east of Ankara, is already on the Turkish high-speed rail network, serving as a stop on services between Ankara and Sivas.
The construction of the line to Samsun will therefore connect Ankara to the Black Sea coast by high-speed rail.
Work on the Ankara-Samsun high-speed railway line is expected to be completed by January 2030, when passenger services will be operate at speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour (155mph).
A Turkish high-speed train. ©AndyBTravels
Other future high-speed railway lines in Turkey
Numerous other high-speed railway lines are either under construction or in the planning stages across Turkey.
Another high-speed spur line will connect Ankara to Kayseri, with plans for it to open in 2026.
Bursa, the fourth most populous city in Turkey, is also set to be connected to the high-speed rail network in 2026, with a new line linking the city to the existing Ankara-Istanbul line.
Another key high-speed railway line under construction will connect Ankara to Izmir, located in south-western Turkey on the Aegean Sea coast.
Turkish high-speed trains
The most premium high-speed train in Turkey is the TCDD HT80000, a Siemens Velaro TR, which many will instantly recognise as the same type used for the German InterCity Express (ICE) trains.
This train has a maximum operating speed of 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph).
The Turkish State Railways also operates Spanish-built trains (the TCDD HT65000, made by CAF) on its high-speed railway lines, which can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour.
Turkish high-speed trains at the station of Ankara. ©AndyBTravels
Travel by train to Turkey
If you want to travel from anywhere in Europe to Turkey by train, you’ll need to take either the year-round Sofia–Istanbul night train or the summer-only Bucharest–Istanbul night train.
However, Turkey is in the process of completing a brand new high-speed railway line from Istanbul to Edirne and the border station of Kapıkule, which will establish a high-speed rail connection to Bulgaria.
Reportedly, large sections of this high-speed railway line are already complete, with testing set to begin soon, although it remains unclear when high-speed rail services will commence.
Conclusion
Turkey’s high-speed railway network is expanding rapidly, with construction underway on a new line linking Ankara to Samsun and a high-speed line from Istanbul to the Bulgarian border nearing completion.
It’s an impressive achievement by the Turkish government, and certainly a development warmly welcomed by any international train traveller.
