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The Yakup Kadri and Yahya Kemal were the "5 hour" trains (actually 5:15) between Istanbul and Ankara. |
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The Yakup Kadri Ekspresi and Yahya Kemal Ekspresi were named for two beloved mid-20th-century Turkish men of letters, Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu (1889-1974) and Yahya Kemal Beyatli (1884-1958).
These super-fast trains were the Turkish State Railways' attempt to cut the train travel time between Ankara and Istanbul to five hours, making trains faster than driving or the bus, and competitive with air travel.
Unfortunately, the five-hour travel speeds were too much for the current condition of the tracks, and an accident in July 2004 put an end to these services, at least temporarily.
These trains are the evening counterparts to the morning Gazi Ekspresi.
The Turkish State Railways' goal is to establish high-speed train service (250 km/hr) between Ankara and Istanbul on a modern, fully-electrified line, cutting the travel time to 3 hours and 10 minutes. The first phase of this modernization project is scheduled for completion during the first half of 2006; the second phase by the end of 2007.
Turkish State Railways Route Map
Trains between Istanbul & Ankara
How & Where to Buy Train Tickets
How to Decipher the TCDD Website
Turkey Travel Planner Homepage