Cheap train tickets boost shopping fest
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
Shoppers flocked over the weekend to the Ankara Shopping Festival, which started on June 8, thanks to discounted high-speed train tickets.Shoppers residing along the Ankara-Eskişehir and Ankara-Konya line took advantage of 50 percent discounted tickets, pushing the capacity rate of the trains to more than 100 percent including stopovers on June 8, 9 and 10.
Over the three days, a total of 58,990 passengers were transported on both lines, where the capacity rate was 103 percent on June 8, 119 percent on June 9 and 106 percent on June 10. The figure hit 178 percent on June 9 on the Ankara-Konya line.
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) officials have said that the 10th International Turkish Olympic Games added to the passenger transport intensity. The games started on May 30 and end on June 14. There were events on June 8, 9 and 10 in Ankara.
The TCDD sells return high-speed train tickets at a 50 percent discount to passengers who prove 200 Turkish Liras of spending or more from festival enrollees.