|
Turkish
State Railways (TCDD, DDY)
trains can be useful during your Turkey
trip, though the cancellation
of all Anatolian intercity trains from
Istanbul until 2014 limits
the possibilities. More...
The high-speed
trains between Eskişehir and Ankara continue
to operate, and a few long-distance trains
use Arifiye, 150 km
(93 miles) east of Istanbul (map),
as their terminus, so you may be able
to go by a bus-and-train
combination. More...
They're really working
on the railroad all over Turkey,
upgrading many bridges, tunnels and
sections of track, so there are frequent
schedule changes and
even temporary suspensions
of service on
many lines. These disruptions are not
necessarily noted in the train information
I give in these pages. Be
sure to check that the train you want
to take will be running on the exact
day you want to take it.
Here
are the cities
traditionally served by trains
in Turkey:
(Haydarpaşa = Istanbul;
Alsancak = İzmir; Basmane
= İzmir).
Here are
the most important train routes in
Turkey.
Here
are complete lists of
main line trains by
city of departure and by
train name.
You can also go to each city's
page for information on
trains serving that city. (Here's
a map of Turkey's major cities.)
Here's
a detailed
train route map. Here are
the types
of trains.
For international trains,
see the pages on trains
to Bulgaria and Europe, trains
to Syria, and trains
to Iran.
Intercity
trains between İzmir (Alsancak)
and Ankara
are relatively comfortable
and moderately priced, and the train-&-ferry
service between Istanbul and İzmir is
also useful. Regional
train service between İzmir, its Adnan
Menderes Airport, Selçuk (for Ephesus and Şirince) and Denizli (for Pamukkale)
is also quite useful.
Bus
travel is faster than the train
on most routes, however, and twice
as fast on some routes.
Note there is no train service to
Bodrum, Antalya,
Alanya,
or indeed to any point along the Aegean and Mediterranean
coasts between İzmir and Mersin.
Nor is there any service to the eastern Black
Sea coast.
Please read this
safety notice about sleeping
car travel.
Here's how
to reserve
and buy train tickets in advance.
Note
that you cannot break your
journey and re-use the same ticket. You must
either buy a separate ticket for
each portion of your journey, or
you must buy a monthly
rail pass called a Train
Tour Card. More...
The Turkish
State Railways website is
now more useful than in the
past. More...
For
information on train travel from London and Europe to Turkey,
see the Turkey page of Mark Smith's
excellent railophile website, The
Man in Seat 61.
You
may also enjoy TrainsOfTurkey.com,
a Turkish-train enthusiasts' site.
Discounts and monthly
passes can save
you money on train
travel costs.
|
