Plans for Ankara to Istanbul train in 80 minutes

The green light has been given by the Turkish government for a high-speed train line to be constructed in the near future, which would reduce the time journeying between Ankara and Istanbul to 80 minutes.

Feasibility and future announcements

Feasibility studies have been started for the line by the Ministry of Transport. It has now been reported and once these have been completed it will be revealed where the route will be, what the method of construction will be, and a start date for the foundations to be laid.

The new line – an alternative to plane travel

The new High-Speed Train (YHT) that is currently running between Istanbul and Ankara has a maximum speed of 250kph (155mph), but this will increase to 350kph with the new improved line – making it faster than air travel. The journey between the two major cities currently takes around 5 hours, but this will be reduced to just 80 minutes with the new line. This reduction in travel time makes the high-speed train a more advantageous travel option than taking a plane.

Further expansion to accommodate the line

At current, it is expected that a total of 40 bridges and 70 new tunnels will be built to encompass the new line and scope of the project. Once the project has been completed and the line is opened to the public, there will be the capacity to carry up to 240,000 passengers each day, a total of 88 million passengers per year.

Turkey’s railways at present

There is currently around 12,803 kilometres of railways lines, approximately 7,955 miles, across Turkey and this includes the 1,200 kilometres of train lines for high-speed trains. This expansion will see the network increase by a third to almost 16,700 kilometres by the end of 2023.

At present, the conventional lines cover approximately 11,590 kilometres across Turkey, while the other lines encompass a further 6,382 kilometres. Finally, there is an additional expanse of electrified lines, covering 5,753 kilometres of the country.

Investments so far into Turkish railways

Between 2003 and 2020, the Turkish government has invested a total of 169.2 billion Turkish Lira, approximately 19.46 billion USD, into the railway of the country.