Istanbul–Ankara railway
Istanbul–Ankara railway İstanbul–Ankara demiryolu | |||
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TCDD Taşımacılık Körfez Ulaştırma (Körfez-Ankara) | |||
History | |||
Opened | 22 September 1872 (first section) 31 December 1892 (final section) | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 576.6 km (358.3 mi) | ||
Number of tracks | 1-5 | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | 25 kV 50Hz AC OHLE | ||
Operating speed | 160 km (99 mi) Max speed | ||
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The Istanbul–Ankara railway (
Before the opening of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway in 2009, the Istanbul–Ankara railway was the busiest line in Turkey as well as the primary inter-city route, connecting Istanbul with Ankara through five provincial capitals:
Due to the construction of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway, Marmaray and Başkentray, traffic on the railway declined greatly due to sections being closed down for several years. As of November 2016, the Haydarpaşa-Pendik section is still closed to all traffic as the rehabilitation of the line is still underway. No passenger service is operated between Arifiye and Sincan (not including YHT high-speed trains).
Infrastructure
The line is mostly single track, although with significant multiple-track sections. Despite being mostly single track, the railway still has the longest multiple-track stretch in Turkey, excluding high-speed lines. Out of the total 576.6 km (358.3 mi) railway, 235.2 km (146.1 mi) are multiple track, with the remaining 341.4 km (212.1 mi) being single track. The multiple-track sections are three disconnected stretches and vary from double-track, triple-track and quadruple-track, with a short 7.2 km (4.5 mi) stretch in Ankara consisting of a 5-track mainline. The first multi-track stretch begins at Haydarpaşa station in Istanbul and continues 44.1 km (27.4 mi) as a triple-track main to Gebze. The north two tracks are mostly used for Marmaray commuter rail, while the south track is used for intercity/high-speed and freight rail. From Gebze, the line becomes a double-track railway and continues 123.5 km (76.7 mi) southeast to Pamukova. After Pamukova, the first single-track section begins as the terrain becomes mountainous. Once entering the Eskișehir Plain at İnönü, the second multi-track section begins. This part parallels the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway and permits speeds up to 140 km/h (87 mph). This section continues for 42.4 km (26.3 mi) until Hasanbey, an eastern suburb of Eskişehir. The second single-track stretch begins east of Hasanbey and continues for east 228.9 km (142.2 mi) until joining the Istanbul-Ankara high-speed line in Sincan. From Sincan, the railway becomes a quadruple-track line for 18 km (11 mi) until Marşandiz, where the last 7.2 km (4.5 mi) stretch of track is a 5-track railway.
The Istanbul-Ankara railway also hosts high-speed trains in certain sections, thus having the second-highest speed limit of conventional railways in Turkey, after the
History
Ottoman Anatolian Railway
The first completed section of the railway was a 92.3 km (57.4 mi) section from
The CFOA started construction further from Izmit in May 1889 and purchased the Istanbul-Izmit railway for 6 million
Operations
Train type | Route | Frequency | Operator |
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Mainline | Halkalı – Söğütlüçeşme – Gebze – İzmit – Arifiye – Bilecik – Bozüyük – Eskişehir – Ankara | Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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Mainline | Izmir – Menemen – Manisa – Balıkesir – Kütahya – Eskişehir – Ankara | Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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High-speed | Halkalı – Söğütlüçeşme – Gebze – İzmit – Bilecik YHT –Bozüyük YHT – Eskişehir – Ankara | 9x Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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High-speed | Halkalı – Söğütlüçeşme – Gebze – İzmit – Bilecik – Bozüyük – Eskişehir – Konya | 3x Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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High-speed | Halkalı – Söğütlüçeşme – Gebze – İzmit – Bilecik – Bozüyük – Eskişehir – Konya – Karaman | Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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High-speed | Ankara
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3x Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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Regional | Gebze – İzmit – Arifiye – Adapazarı | 5x Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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Regional | Polatlı – Ankara | 6x Daily | TCDD Taşımacılık
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Commuter | Halkalı – Sirkeci – Söğütlüçeşme – Bostancı – Maltepe – Pendik – Gebze | 7x Hourly | TCDD Taşımacılık
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Commuter | 5x Hourly | TCDD Taşımacılık
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References
- ^ TCDD annual report - 2015 - tcdd.gov.tr
- ^ CFOA history - trainsofturkey.com