The scope, route, stops, connections, statistics, targets and history of Ankara-Istanbul very high speed line, some phases of which was commissioned and others under construction:

Project overview

• Owner: Turkish State Railways
• Project cost: TL 9.9 bn
• Commission date: 13th Mar 2009 (Ankara-Eskişehir); 25th July 2014 (Eskişehir-İstanbul)

Phases

• Ankara-Sincan: Started service in Mar 2009. Completed in April 208.
• Sincan-Esenkent: Started service in Mar 2009. Completed in Dec 2009.
• Esenkent-Eskisehir: Commissioned in Mar 2009.
• Eskisehir under pass: Service started in Mar 2009 on conventional line. Under pass commissioned in May 2014.
• Eskisehir-İnonu: Commissioned in 2014.
• Inonu-Vezirhan: Service started in 2014. Due to problems in tunnel construction, bypass line is used in one part.
• Vezirhan-Kosekoy: Under construction. Started service in 2014 using conventional line via Arifiye.
• Kosekoy-Gebze: Started service in 2014 without signalization.
• Gebze-Pendik: Started service in 2014 using 2 tracks of Marmaray project.
• Pendik-Haydarpasa-Halkali: Expected to start service by the end of 2018, as a part of Marmaray project.

Route

Stops/connections

Ankara – Eryaman – Polatli – Eskisehir – Bozuyuk – Bilecik – Arifiye – Izmit – Gebze – Pendik (Istanbul)

Trains

• Istanbul Ankara HST
• Ankara Konya HST
• Ankara Eskisehir HST
• Istanbul Konya HST

Cover photo: Dusko Djuric ©