Rail transport in Turkey

Rail transport in Turkey
TCDD's premier high-speed rail service, Yüksek Hızlı Tren, waiting to depart Ankara.
Operation
National railwayTurkish State Railways
Statistics
Ridership164.7 million (2019)[1]
Passenger km5,88 billion (2011)[2]
Freight11,3 billion tkm (2011)[2]
System length
Total12,532[3]
Double track946 km
Electrified4254 km
High-speed1213 km
Track gauge
Main1,435 mm / 4 ft 8+12 in standard gauge
High-speed1,435 mm / 4 ft 8+12 in standard gauge
Electrification
Main25 kV, 50 Hz AC
Features
No. tunnels804
Tunnel length200.407 km
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Turkey has a state-owned railway system built to standard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)) which falls under the remit of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The primary rail carrier is the Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD) (Turkish State Railways) which is responsible for all long-distance and cross-border freight and passenger trains. A number of other companies operate suburban passenger trains in urban conurbations.

Native railway industry extends to the production of locomotives, passenger vehicles and freight wagons; some vehicles are also produced through licensing agreements and cooperation with foreign countries.

In the early 21st century, major infrastructural projects were realized; such as the construction of a high-speed railway network as well as a tunnel under the Bosphorus strait which connects Europe and Anatolia by rail for the first time.

Turkey is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Turkey is 75.

  1. ^ "Rail passenger transport by type of transport for main undertakings, 2018–2019 (thousand passengers)". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b TCDD statistical report 2009-2013 page 119, www.tcdd.gov.tr
  3. ^ Invest in Turkey: Transportation and logistics