Eastern Express begins 1st voyage of the season

ANKARA

Eastern Express, an overnight passenger train famous among tourists, has begun its first tour of the season, a 30-hour long journey from the capital Ankara to the snow-covered eastern regions, following a ceremony attended by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

Speaking at the ceremony held at Ankara Railway Station, Uraloğlu said that railways have been serving the country for the last 167 years since the first rail was laid on the Izmir-Aydın line in 1856.

"Our trains have carried not only passengers and cargo but also our values that make us who we are and ensure our unity and solidarity. In addition, train journeys are nostalgic as they evoke memories from the recent past. Railroad travel is a cultural experience," he added.

Noting that Eastern Express has been running on the Ankara-Kars line for 74 years, completing its route of 1,360 kilometers in an average of 26 hours, Uraloğlu said, "It has traveled over 100 million kilometers since the day it entered service. Accordingly, it has traveled enough distance to circumnavigate the world 2,500 times.”

"In addition to Eastern Express, which attracted great attention as one of the top four most beautiful train routes in the world, we launched the 'Touristic Eastern Express' with a new understanding on May 29, 2019. Now, it is on its way to introduce the beauties of our country in a much more comfortable way," he said.

"Eastern Express provides passengers of all ages, especially nature enthusiasts and groups who want to take photographs, with a high quality and different vacation option. Over 66,000 citizens have traveled since the first voyage in 2019," the minister said.

Emphasizing that trains for tourism purposes that can be operated on new routes in Türkiye should be put into service in addition to the Touristic Eastern Express, the minister said that work on this issue continues with the relevant institutions.

“We have built the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, the most important link in the initiative to revive the historic Silk Road. With this project, we have created the safest, shortest and most economical international railway corridor from London to Beijing with Marmaray, which enables uninterrupted railway transportation between the Asian and European continents,” Uraloğlu said.

“In 2023, we increased our railway length to about 14,000 kilometers. With our high-speed trains, we have provided comfortable, fast and modern travel services directly and indirectly to 19 provinces,” the minister concluded.