User:小林敬和/Eastern Express

For the newspaper, see Eastern Express (newspaper). For the US airline service operated, see Eastern Air Lines.

Eastern Express

An Istanbul-bound train at Ankara station in 2004.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Operating
Locale	North-Central, Central, North-Eastern Anatolia
First service	1936
Current operator(s)	TCDD Taşımacılık
Former operator(s)	Turkish State Railways
Ridership	sleepers full
Route
Termini	Ankara Central Station Kars Railway Station, Kars
Stops	53
Distance travelled	1,310 km (814 mi)
Average journey time	24 hours, 30 minutes (Eastbound)
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	11410 (Eastbound) 41409 (Westbound)
On-board services
Disabled access	Limited
Seating arrangements	Coach
Sleeping arrangements	1 Couchette 2 Sleeping Cars Private sleeping cars
Catering facilities	Dining Car
Baggage facilities	Baggage Car
Technical
Rolling stock	TVS2000
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Haydarpaşa-Ankara
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph) max 80 km/h (50 mph) average
Track owner(s)	Turkish State Railways
Route map km 0,000 Service suspended 0,000 Haydarpaşa (Istanbul) 1 Söğütlüçeşme 9 Bostancı 24 Pendik Istanbul Kocaeli border 44 Gebze 63 Hereke 83 Derince 91 İzmit Kocaeli Sakarya border 131 Arifiye 156 Afuatpaşa 167 Pamukova 181 Mekece Sakarya Bilecik border 195 Osmaneli 214 Vezirhan 231 Bilecik 248 Karaköy 256 Ayvalı 263 Bozüyük Bilecik Eskişehir border 313 Eskişehir 352 Alpu 374 Beylikova 405 Yunusemre 418 Sazak Eskişehir Ankara border 467 Beylikköprü 486 Polatlı 504 Yenidoğan 521 Malıköy 535 Esenkent 551 Sincan 0,576 Ankara 588 Kayaş 619 Elmadağ Ankara Kırıkkale border 645 Irmak 668 Kırıkkale 677 Mahmutlar 772 Çerikli Kırıkkale Yozgat border Yozgat Kırşehir border Kırşehir Yozgat border 781 Yerköy 815 Şefaatlı 832 Sarıkent Yozgat Nevşehir border Nevşehir Yozgat border 865 Yenifakılı Yozgat Kayseri border 940 Boğazköprü 955 Kayseri 1,000 Tuzhisar 1,020 Sarıoğlan 1,034 Karaözü Kayseri Sivas border 1,050 Yeniçubuk 1,086 Sarıkışla 1,126 Bedırlı 1,178 Sivas 1,206 Bostankaya 1,247 Ayvaz 1,254 Karagöl 1,274 Kangal 1,289 Çetinkaya 1,305 Avşar 1,319 Güneş 1,326 Göcentaşı 1,340 Cürek 1,351 Demirdağ 1,354 Divriğ Sivas Erzincan border 1,380 Çaltı Erzincan Sivas border 1,388 Pingan Sivas Erzincan border 1,398 Bağıştaş 1,408 İliç 1,427 Güllübağ 1,438 Yahşiler 1,445 Eriç 1,462 Kemah 1,478 Alp 1,510 Erzincan 1,542 Tanyeri Erzincan Tunceli border Tunceli Erzincan border 1,575 Demirkapı 1,598 Mercan 1,610 Çadırkaya 1,623 Erbaş 1,638 Karasu Erzincan Erzurum border 1,669 Aşkale 1,685 Kandilli 1,709 Ilıca 1,725 Erzurum 1,743 Uzunahmet 1,765 Hasankale 1,782 Köprüköy 1,810 Horasan Erzurum Kars border 1,836 Süngütaşı 1,841 Karaurgan 1,849 Topdağ 1,881 Sarıkamış 1,906 Selim 1,941 Kars

The Eastern Express (Turkish: Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways. The train runs 1,310 km (814 mi) from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars. The train was the first overnight service east of Ankara. The Eastern Express stops in 7 provincial capitals: Ankara, Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars. The train also stops in the Turkish capital: Ankara. The first train ran in 1936 from İstanbul's Haydarpaşa Terminal to Çetinkaya.

Before Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train project, the train ran between Istanbul and Kars.

History

During the 1930s, railway construction in Turkey reached its peak, where 2,846.2 km (1,769 mi) of lines were completed. Ever since the Turkish State Railways were formed in 1927, railways extended to eastern Turkey. A main line was to be constructed from Ankara to Erzurum, where it would connect with the broad gauge line to the Turkey/Soviet Union border built by the Russian Empire in 1916. Construction of the line started in 1924 (by the CFAB, TCDD took over in 1927) and reached Kayseri in 1927, Sivas in 1930 and Çetinkaya in 1936. The Eastern Express made its first run with the opening of the line to Çetinkaya. The railway finally reached Erzurum in 1939. In the same year the Eastern Express started operating from Haydarpaşa to Erzurum. By transferring to a broad gauge train in Erzurum, passengers could travel to Kars, the last Turkish city before the Soviet Union. In 1962, the broad gauge line from Erzurum-Kars-Akkaya was made standard gauge by the State Railways. The Eastern Express was extended to Kars in 1962.

Consists

The Eastern Express had many consists over the years. The Turkish steam locomotives were the source of power from 1936 to the 1970s when the diesel locomotive took over. The consist today is:

• DE 22 000, Head End Power Car, Coach, Coach, Coach, Coach, Diner, couchette, sleeper, sleeper, private cars at the end

Route

An Istanbul-bound train at Eskişehir in 2009.

The Eastern Express starts evening and runs east through Ankara's eastern suburbs. After Kırıkkale, the train heads south-east towards Kayseri. At Kayseri the train refuels itself and has a crew change. The Eastern Express then continues east into the dusk. The route then heads north-east until Sivas. After Sivas the tracks travel through very mountainous terrain so the speed is limited. A small portion between Çetinkaya and Divriği is electrified for freight train carrying iron ore down south to the Mediterranean Sea. After Divriği the Eastern Express steadily climbs towards the Armenian Highlands. After a break in Erzurum, the train arrives at Kars towards the evening.

References

Notes

Category:Named passenger trains of Turkey