The national railway network in Türkiye plays a crucial role in the country's transport framework and capacity. As of 2021, there were 10,546 km (6,553 mi) of main railway lines in Türkiye, of which 14% are double-track and 51% are electrified. It serves as an important mode of transportation for both passengers and freight, connecting various regions within Türkiye and facilitating national and international trade. However, the network faces certain reliability issues and constraints that impact its efficiency. 

One of the challenges faced by the national railway network is the presence of bottlenecks, particularly in heavily congested urban areas. These bottlenecks restrict the capacity of the network and can lead to delays and disruptions in train operations. Additionally, for rail coming from Europe one of the biggest challenges is that commercial trains can only pass Marmaray Tunnel from 00:00 to 06:00hrs.  

Recognizing these limitations, the Turkish government has launched several ongoing and planned improvements and upgrades for the national railway network. One notable project is the Turkish State Railways' (TCDD) "High-Speed Train Project," which has roughly 1287 km of dedicated high-speed lines are in use, and that number will rise sharply over the next few years. Türkiye aims to have more than 5600 km of high-speed line in its railroad network by 2025.  

Cargo rail transportation is a major mode of transportation in Türkiye. The country has a well-developed rail network and a number of major rail cargo hubs. These hubs serve as gateways to Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The rail cargo sector in Türkiye is growing rapidly, and the government is investing in the rail network to boost its growth.  

Halkalı Terminal: This is a major rail cargo hub located in Istanbul. It is a gateway to Europe and serves as a major distribution center for goods from all over Türkiye however with small capacity. 

Middle Corridor Route of First Train: China H.C. (Xi’an) -Kazakhstan- TÜRKİYE- Azerbaijan-Georgia-Bulgaria-Serbia-Hungary-Slovakia Czech Republic (Prague): 11,500 km 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List. 

Travel Time Matrix 

Travel Time from Capital City to Major Towns (Hours)   

	Ankara	Eskişehir	Istanbul	Konya	Izmir	Kars	Diyarbakir	Mus
Ankara		2:17	3:55 / 7:00	1:46	12:08	26:32	22:51	24:49
Eskişehir	2:17		2:51	1:45	10:14	NA	NA	NA
Istanbul	3:55 / 7:00	2:51		4:22	NA	NA	NA	NA
Konya	1:46	1:45	4:22		12:19	NA	NA	NA
Izmir	12:08	10:14	NA	12:19		NA	NA	NA
Kars	26:32	NA	NA	NA	NA		NA	NA
Diyarbakir	22:51	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA		NA
Mus	24:49	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

https://bilet.tcdd.gov.tr/sefer-listesi   

Railway Companies and Consortia 

The Turkish railway sector is currently undergoing a process of privatization, with the government opening up the market to private companies. As a result, there are a number of private railway companies or consortia operating in Türkiye, responsible for the management of the rail capacity. 

Since the liberalization of railway transportation, 7 years have passed, and it has been 6 years since the first private operator started its services. 

At the end of 2017, with the entry of two companies, Körfez Ulaştırma and Omsan Lojistik, an important initial step was taken towards liberalization in the rail freight. While the market share of the two private operators remained at 13% in 2021, the state-owned company, TCDD Transportation, held an 87% market share.  

Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD) (Turkish State Railways) is the state-owned railway company that operates the majority of the rail network in Türkiye.  

TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş. (TCDD Transportation Inc.) is a subsidiary of TCDD that operates passenger and freight trains.  

Pasifik Eurasia A.S. is a Turkish logistics company that provides transit freight services between Asia and Europe. Biggest rail operator on the Asian side of Türkiye.  

Rail Cargo Group is a European rail freight company that operates trains between Türkiye and Europe.  

Cities with main line train access 

Main line trains are long distance trains generally once a day. Trains are slower, but more comfortable. In overnight trains, sleepers and/or couchettes exist. Main departure stations of mainline trains are Ankara, Izmir, Adana. 

Main line trains departing from Ankara call at below cities: 

Eskisehir, Bilecik, Izmit, Istanbul, Kutahya, Balikesir, Manisa, İzmir, Afyon, Kirikkale, Kayseri, Erzincan, Erzurum, Kars, Malatya, Elazig, Mus, Diyarbakır, Batman. 

Main line trains departing from Izmir call at below cities: 

Manisa, Balikesir, Kutahya, Eskisehir, Ankara, Usak, Afyon, Konya, Aydin, Denizli, Isparta. 

Main line trains departing from Adana call at below cities: 

Osmaniye, Malatya, Elazig, Nigde, Kayseri, Karaman, Konya 

Below find the different types of Turkish trains: 

High-Speed Trains 

Türkiye's high-speed train lines (Yüksek Hızlı Trenler (YHT) are in operation on the route Istanbul - Eskişehir - Ankara, and between Ankara and Konya, and Eskişehir and Konya. Other lines, from Eskişehir to İzmir and from Ankara to Sivas, are under construction.  

International train services from Türkiye to Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Austria. 

It is important to note that freight trains from Türkiye to eastern countries requires wagons to be changed in Kars due to different track gauges. This change of wagon may take few days (approximately the change of 20 containers will be done in 2 days). 

Sofia Express (Istanbul Sofia train) is running during whole year. 

Optima Express (Edirne Villach train) also carries cars of passengers is running during whole year except winter. 

Bosphor Express (Istanbul Bucharest train) is giving service only during summer. 

Tranasia Express (Ankara Tehran train) and Van-Tehran train run during whole year on certain days of week. 

Blue Trains 

Inter-regional Blue Trains (Mavi Trenler) make fewer stops than traditional expresses. Some haul couchette cars and sleeping cars. İzmir Mavi Tren, Konya Mavi Tren. 

Express Trains 

Traditional (not high-speed) long-distance trains connecting larger cities and towns at slow speeds. The overnight trains have either couchette cars or sleeping cars, or both: 6 Eylül Ekspresi; 17 Eylül Ekspresi; Doğu Ekspresi, Ege Ekspresi, Erciyes Ekspresi, Fırat Ekspresi, Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi, Karesi Ekspresi, Pamukkale Ekspresi, Toros Ekspresi; Vangölü Ekspresi.  

Regional Trains 

Here are the shorter-distance regional trains (Bölgesel Tren): Istanbul - Thrace (Edirne); İzmir - Airport - Selçuk (Ephesus) – Denizli; İzmir - Manisa - Alaşehir – Uşak; Mersin - Tarsus - Adana - İskenderun Trains. 

For more information on railway company contact details, please see the following link: 4.9 Railway Companies Contact List.  

Capacity Table 

Rail Operator Capacity 

	Türkiye's high-speed trains (Yüksek Hızlı Tren, or YHT)	Express Trains	Blue Trains
Lines Operates On	Ankara - Eskişehir - Istanbul  Ankara - Konya  Istanbul - Eskişehir – Konya  Polatlı-Konya  Konya-Karaman  Ankara– Kayaş-Sivas	6 and 17 Eylül Ekspresi (İzmir - Balıkesir - Bandırma)   Doğu Ekspresi (Ankara – Kayseri -Sivas – Erzincan - Elazığ - Erzurum – Kars)  Ege Ekspresi (İzmir (Basmane) - Balıkesir)   Erciyes Ekspresi (Kayseri - Adana)  Fırat Ekspresi (Adana – Elazığ)  Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi (Ankara - Kayseri - Sivas - Malatya - Diyarbakır - Batman – Kurtalan)  Karesi Ekspresi ( İzmir (Basmane) -Balıkesir)  Pamukkale Ekspresi ( Denizli - Eskişehir)  Toros Ekspresi (Adana - Konya)  Vangölü Ekspresi (Ankara - Kayseri - Sivas - Malatyam - Elazığ - Tatvan)	İzmir Mavi Tren (Eskişehir – İzmir)  Konya Mavi Tren (Konya - İzmir)
Max Train Length and / or Pulling Capacity
Locomotives	Electric	Electric / Diesel (depends on the line)	Electric / Diesel (depends on the line)
Covered Freight Wagons Size (m)
Flatbed Freight Wagons Size (m)
High-sided Freight Wagons Size (m)
Drop-side Freight Wagons Size (m)

Key Route Information 

Standard Route Information - Domestic 

	Route A  Istanbul – Ankara	Route B  Istanbul - Konya	Route C  Konya- Adana	Route D  Istanbul Sirkeci - Edirne - Kapikule	Route E  Ankara - Edirne - Kapikule
Track Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Ruling Gradient
Total Track Distance
Type of Rail
Type of Sleeper and Fastenings
Total Track Travel Time
Maintenance	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
Companies / Consortiums Operating on Line
Traffic Frequency	Daily	Daily	Daily	Daily	Daily
Security	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
Main Stations

 

Standard Route Information – International 

	Route A  Sofia - Istanbul	Route B  Bucharest - Istanbul	Route C  Ankara – Tehran (Iran)	Route D  Türkiye – Baku (Azerbaijan)	Route E  Türkiye – Tbilisi (Georgia)	Route E  Türkiye – Syria & Iraq
Track Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  Changes in Kars to 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 1127⁄32 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  Changes in Kars to 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 1127⁄32 in)	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)  Changes in Kars to 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 1127⁄32 in)	Existing tracks however not operational
Ruling Gradient
Total Track Distance
Type of Rail
Type of Sleeper and Fastenings
Total Track Travel Time	8:00	11:30	2,968 km excluding the 90 km length of Lake Van
Maintenance	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
Companies / Consortiums Operating on Line
Traffic Frequency	Daily	Daily	On demand	On demand	On demand
Security	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
Main Stations

 

Key Stations 

Key Station Information 

	Istanbul Sirkeci Terminal	Ankara railway station	Gaziantep railway station	Adana  railway station	Van Station
Location	Istanbul	Ankara	Gaziantep	Adana	Van
Contact Information	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Connections with Other  Transport Means	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Storage Capacity  (m2 and m3)
Handling Equipment
Handling Capacity
Other Comments

 

Customs-Railway Cooperation  

https://www.wcoomd.org/-/media/wco/public/global/pdf/topics/facilitation/ressources/permanent-technical-committee/219-220/pcitemiiibTürkiyeenonly.pdf?la=en