Turkey at 250 km/h — welcome to high- speed train travel

Orient Express became bullet train

In our times of jet-setting and overused individual transportation — aka the car — few of us realize that what was once our preferred form of transport is still with us: the good old, and now revamped, train.

Its more luxurious editions brought curious visitors ever closer to faraway places. Some scenic train rides became destinations themselves, with South Africa’s Blue Train and Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer as the league-topping examples.

Against increased competition from (more affordable) airlines, rail operators, in order to stay in business, began to introduce of high-speed trains. Japan set the trend and France followed in the footsteps of the Land of the Rising Sun’s clever policymakers. Shinkansen (Japan’s famed bullet train) and France’s TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) became synonymous with the rekindled love between passengers and once-adored trains.

Stateside, the Acela Express travels at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour offers hourly services during morning and afternoon rush hours, linking New York with Boston and Washington, D.C., as well as a few intermediate cities. Trains feature reserved first class and business class seating, at-seat laptop sockets, adjustable lighting and large trays as well as conference tables. There is a quiet car, a café, at-seat à la carte service on selected trains and of course WiFi. More details can be found online from all relevant train operators in Japan, France and the US.

While most rail lines seem to connect points in central and western Turkey, it is possible to reach many more eastern destinations by rail, too.

If you take a close look at a map and locate place names such as Adapazarı, Denizli, Kars, Konya, Manisa and Mardin you soon understand that, while many thousands of kilometers of new twin tracks still need to be laid, it is already possible to visit many fascinating towns and cities on an exciting train journey. Of course once rail lines link İzmir with Konya via Ankara, İstanbul with Kars via Eskişehir and all other planned routes, Turkish train travel will have reached not only new speeds but new heights, too.

Seven hubs (“bölge”) make for good connections and today’s rail network has an excellent safety record, too. Central stations are very clean, often complete with bars and restaurants adjacent to the platforms.

Suburban trains often connect the city centers with outlying areas and are a vital tool in reducing our metropolises’ road congestion. Just remember that depending on location, you have to buy either a ticket or a token (“jeton”) before boarding.

Welcome aboard — Ankara-Eskişehir in 1.5 hours

“Around the world in 80 days” in today’s Turkey translates to “from Ankara to Eskişehir in 90 minutes…” with many more high-speed train links to follow shortly.

Regardless of where you begin your fast-track journey, you feel more like you are boarding a plane with ticket checks and baggage scans well before you step on board. Once you are comfortably seated, your train accelerates to reach the maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour. What makes this ride so special is not only the comfortable and safe surroundings but a chance to take a look out the window. If this is your first trip further inland, away from Ankara, İstanbul or the sunshine belt, you immediately feel the sheer vastness of this country as minute after minute beautiful countryside flies by, mountains approach and retreat into the ever changing background while green pastures are replaced by tree-lined rolling hills only to become green pastures once more.

‘Business class’

While unwinding in “Business” you will be served a complimentary snack complete with tea or coffee without needing to leave your seat; however, all passengers are welcome to purchase a drink or snack in the refreshment coach found between the sections. It must be said that, as the journey is brief, no full-fledged dining car has been incorporated into the train, but the food and beverages offered in the stylish yet compact bar section are more than adequate to quench one’s thirst or satisfy one’s short-term nutritional needs.

According to Turkish State Railways (TCDD), the first high-speed train, which was manufactured in Spain, entered the country through Kapıkule on Nov. 20, 2007.

A standard train configuration has 419 seats laid out over six coaches in a business, as well as economy, class outfit.

The HST operates on a wholly electrified and signaled double track high-speed line, constructed separately from the conventional line between Ankara and İstanbul. The noise level in the passenger section is less than 65 decibels.

I recently enjoyed a ride on a high-speed train and what struck me was the variety in the demographics of my fellow passengers, who on my day of travel included students, business travelers and just a couple of international passengers. I spoke with a colleague from Eskişehir’s Anadolu University and learned that students and staff alike benefit from the improved connections between cities and extra personal and academic contacts, all at very reasonable rates. If that holds true for Turkey’s business community as well, the high-speed train may bring much welcome investment at either end.

‘Any more fares?’ — The how-to section

The only catch when going by train is that in most instances it is still necessary to buy your ticket from the station at either end of your journey, although more efficient online ticketing will be rolled out shortly with a growing number of travel agencies as well as post offices (PTT) lined up to sell paper tickets, too. This implies that for the time being, it is advisable to pre-plan your journey and buy both outward and return tickets in advance from your nearest TCDD station, as some trains are sold-out well in advance. You should be able to obtain business class tickets without a reservation up until a few minutes before departure.

Another advantage of train travel in Turkey is the option to obtain a “TrenKart,” or Train Card which allows for unlimited travel for 30 days on either the new train (TL 300 adults, TL 200 youths), all other trains and express trains (TL 150) or with a Sleeper Train Card, comprising the express trains as well as access to the comfortable long-distance sleeper cars (TL 500).

A single business class ticket from Ankara to Eskişehir costs TL 30, with economy class tickets selling for TL 20. A split ticket from İstanbul to Ankara via Eskişehir sets you back TL 50 or TL 40, for business or economy class, respectively. The latter makes it possible to explore the HST, even if neither Ankara nor Eskişehir are your normal place of residence, as reaching either end of the current line is easy. If you want to combine urgent Ankara-based business with railroad-related pleasures, you might as well fly to Ankara and return by train, or simply take a day trip to Eskişehir from the Turkish capital, which is now a much-appreciated possibility. Return fares are 20 percent off the one-way price.

Eskişehir’s Gar is located right in the city center and so is Ankara’s Tren İstasyon (both Turkish-language terms can be used when asking for directions).

Comfortable hotels are to be found in abundance at either end. My personal suggestions: Hotel İbis in Eskişehir, telephone from within Turkey: 0222.211.77.00 (rooms from TL 120+), and King Hotel Güvenlik in the Turkish capital, website: www.kinghotel.com.tr (rooms priced between TL 105 and TL 240).

A summary of recent developments in TCDD can be found at www.tcdd.gov.tr, English. Enjoy your trip!