Rail Turkey En

In my experience, people will use trains if there is a reliable, user-friendly service with easy to access information (timetables for instance), fare choices, maps of the system (as on the London Underground, most stations in Britain and websites/apps like National Rail Enquiries). Otherwise they will find some other means of transport. I would love to travel by train from Istanbul to Ankara, but not unless I can leave from Haydarpasa, All too problematic and difficult for the tourist!

Hello Onur have just found your terrific website. I live in Melbourne, love trains and travel to work on electric Metro and then DMU. Like many Australians I have been to Turkey (three times in my case), but have never travelled on Turkish trains – other than from Sirkeci out to the end of the line on the Metro – plus had a look at wonderful, wonderful Haydarpasa station on last visit (2012). Hoping to get back to your beautiful country next year – your information on train travel within Turkey is really excellent. Best wishes.

How is it that tickets are immediately sold out as soon as they are released for sale? Do travel agencies buy all the places? What is TCDD doing to make it possible for ordinary passengers to reserve sleeping-car places?