Eastern Express

Eastern Express
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusOperating
LocaleNorth-Central, Central, North-Eastern Anatolia
First service1936
Current operator(s)TCDD Taşımacılık
Former operator(s)Turkish State Railways
Route
TerminiAnkara Central Station
Kars Railway Station, Kars
Stops47
Distance travelled1,944 km (1,208 mi)
Average journey time32 hours, 27 minutes (Eastbound)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)11410 (Eastbound)
41409 (Westbound)
On-board services
Disabled accessLimited
Seating arrangementsCoach
Sleeping arrangements2 Couchettes
Private sleeping cars
Catering facilitiesDining Car
Baggage facilitiesOverhead baggage storage
Technical
Rolling stockTVS2000
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
ElectrificationAnkara-Sivas (25 kV AC)
Operating speed120 km/h (75 mph) max
80 km/h (50 mph) average
Track owner(s)Turkish State Railways

The Eastern Express (Turkish: Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by Turkish State Railways. The train runs from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars.[1] The train was the first overnight service east of Ankara. The Eastern Express stops in 7 provincial capitals: Ankara, Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars.[2] The first train ran in 1936 from Istanbul's Haydarpaşa Terminal to Çetinkaya.[3]

Until the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed train project, the train ran between Istanbul and Kars.

Due to the increasing popularity of the train, TCDD Taşımacılık added a second train named the Touristic Eastern Express. This new train operates three times a week with fewer stops and costs more than the regular Eastern Express train. The Touristic Eastern Express was inaugurated in 2019 from Ankara.

  1. ^ "Doğu Ekspresi". TCDD Taşımacılık. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  2. ^ The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Steam & Rail - By Colin Garratt and Max Wade-Mathews, page 400
  3. ^ TCDD History - Trains and Railways of Turkey