Ankara railway station

This article is about the railway station. For the mixed-use building above the railway station, see Ankara Tren Garı.

Ankara railway station (Turkish: Ankara Garı) is the main railway station in Ankara, Turkey, and is a major transportation hub within the city. The station is on the rail corridor which connects east and west Turkey, which is high speed between Istanbul and Sivas. Ankara station is also a hub for YHT high-speed trains, with its own exclusive platforms and concourse. TCDD Taşımacılık also operates intercity train service to Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalan as well as Başkentray commuter rail service.

Ankara
TCDD Taşımacılık high-speed, intercity and commuter rail station
Ankara railway station
General information
Location	Hipodrom Cd., Anafartalar Mah. 06050 Altındağ, Ankara Turkey
Coordinates	39.9364°N 32.8438°E / 39.9364; 32.8438
Owned by	Turkish State Railways
Operated by	TCDD Taşımacılık
Line(s)	Istanbul-Ankara railway Ankara-Kars railway Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway Ankara-Sivas high-speed railway
Platforms	6 (1 side platform, 5 island platforms)
Tracks	13
Connections	Ankara Metro: Ankaray at Maltepe M4 at Gar EGO Bus: 157-3, 202-3, 204, 222, 254, 257, 268, 269, 277, 285, 288, 288-2, 288-6, 352, 354, 354-3, 369, 394, 394-3, 397, 398-3, 404-1, 410-2, 411-2, 415-2, 415-6, 418-2, 461-1, 482-2, 482-6, 522
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Architect	Şekip Akalın
Architectural style	Art Deco
Other information
Station code	2503
History
Opened	31 December 1892
Rebuilt	1937 (Art Deco station) 2014-18 (Platforms)
Electrified	1972 (25 kV AC)
Services
Preceding station TCDD Taşımacılık Following station Eryaman towards Istanbul Halkalı Yüksek Hızlı Tren Terminus Eryaman towards Karaman Terminus Kayaş towards Sivas Sincan towards Istanbul Halkalı Ankara Express Terminus Sincan towards İzmir Izmir Blue Train Terminus Eastern Express Kayaş towards Kars Lake Van Express Kayaş towards Tatvan Southern Express Kayaş towards Kurtalan 4 Sep Express Kayaş towards Malatya Sincan towards Polatlı Ankara–Polatlı Terminus Hipodrom towards Sincan Başkentray Yenişehir towards Kayaş
Future services Preceding station TCDD Taşımacılık Following station Polatlı YHT towards Alsancak Yüksek Hızlı Tren Terminus
Former services Preceding station Turkish State Railways Following station Sincan towards Istanbul Capital Express Terminus Republic Express Fatih Express Anatolian Express

Located within the historic Ulus quarter, the station is a landmark of the city. In 2016, a new building was opened above the YHT platforms known as Ankara Tren Garı (ATG). The ATG building serves as a hub for high-speed rail with its own concourse containing information and tickets booths, waiting rooms and a VIP lounge, and is connected to the rest of the station via a skybridge.

History

Ottoman Empire period (1892–1922)

The original builder, the Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie (CFOA), was engaged in shipping war materials to the fronts in Palestine and Mesopotamia during World War I. Therefore, between 1914 and 1918 the Ankara station had no passenger service and very little freight service. The CFOA fell under British military control after the war, but the Turkish Nationalists captured Ankara and parts of the CFOA. During the Turkish Independence War, CFOA transported troops from Ankara, as the newly named capital of Turkey, to the front near Eskişehir.^[1]

Turkish Republic period (1922–present)

View of 19 May Square and the Ankara Railway Station taken in the 1940s

After the Turkish independence war ended, the passenger train services from Istanbul to Ankara resumed. The CFOA, now under Turkish control, finally opened the line to Kayseri and Ankara was no longer the terminus. CFOA was then acquired by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) on June 1, 1927, and Ankara station was placed under TCDD control.^[2] In 1927 the Anatolian Express was inaugurated as a premier overnight train from Istanbul to Ankara operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL).^[3] The current Art deco building was built in 1937 by Turkish architect Şekip Akalın. As TCDD completed rail lines to other cities, new train services from Ankara such as the 9th of September Express (1939) to İzmir, the Eastern Express (1939) to Kars, and the Southern Express (1944) to Diyarbakır and Kurtalan made Ankara station one of the busiest stations in Turkey. In 1972, the station, along with the track between Sincan and Kayaş, were electrified with 25 kV AC catenary for the Ankara Suburban Railway. In 1993 the Istanbul-Ankara line was fully electrified. In 2009 a high-speed train service operated from Ankara to Eskişehir.

The 2015 Ankara bombings occurred on 10 October 2015 at 10:04 local time (EEST) in Ankara. Two bombs were detonated outside the entrance of the Ankara Central railway station, killing more than 105 and injuring more than 400 people.^[4][5] The attack is the deadliest of its kind in Turkey's modern history.^[6]

A TCDD HT65000 at the Ankara Central Station 2009 to 2016

The TCDD Open Air Steam Locomotive Museum was opened next to the station in the 1990's, but was relocated in 2014 due to the construction of the Ankara Tren Garı.

Operations

Ankara station has generally been the exchange point between train services in the west and in the east, although trains to the far east of Turkey would originate from Istanbul until 2011. With the exception of commuter rail service, all trains either originate or terminate at the station, continuing Ankara's role as a rail hub in Turkey. TCDD Taşımacılık (TCDDT) operates mainline intercity trains (mostly overnight service) west to Istanbul and İzmir and east to Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalanalong with regional service to Polatlı. Since the opening of Turkey's first high-speed railway in 2009, Ankara has become the main hub for high-speed trains in the country. High-speed Yüksek Hızlı Tren (YHT) service operates frequent service to Istanbul, via Eskişehir,^[7] and Konya. However, service is expected to increase with the opening of the high-speed railway to Sivas and Karaman towards the end of 2021, with future service to Afyonkarahisar and İzmir expected to begin in 2023.

Tracks

Ankara station has 6 platforms with 13 tracks. The station platforms are divided into three areas, each hosting different train service. The platforms are connected via a skybridge.

• Tracks 1-3 are used for intercity and regional service. Intercity trains to Istanbul, İzmir, Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalan along with regional trains to Polatlı arrive and depart from these tracks. A side platform and an island platform allow access to the tracks.
• Tracks 4-5 are used for freight trains passing through Ankara, along with the occasional equipment move from Marşandiz Yard. Freight trains run mostly at night or late evening with some service mid-day. This is done to minimize interference with passenger rail service.
• Tracks 6-7 are for Başkentray commuter service to Sincan and Kayaş. An island platform services both tracks however access to this platform requires the payment of a fare, using the AnkaraKart.
• Tracks 8-13 are exclusively for high-speed train service. These tracks are also indoors as they sit underneath the Ankara Tren Garı building. Platforms here connect directly into the high-speed rail concourse, however the rest of Ankara station can be accessed via the skybridge.

G	Ground level	Exit/entrance, parking, buses
P Platform level
	Platform 1
	Track 1	← Main line and regional trains →
	Track 2	← Main line and regional trains →
	Platform 2
	Track 3	← Main line and regional trains →
	Track 4	Freight trains
	Track 5	Freight trains
	Track 6	← Başkentray toward Sincan
	Platform 3
	Track 7	Başkentray toward Kayaş →
	Track 8	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 4
	Track 9	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Track 10	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 5
	Track 11	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Track 12	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 6
	Track 13	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →

One of Turkey's top 50 civil engineering projects

The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists Ankara Central Station as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects realized in the first 50 years of the chamber.^[8]

Pictures

• 
  Looking east at the platforms
• 
  Looking west at the platforms
• 
  View of the Art Deco building trackside
• 
  A high-speed train on the tracks below the ATG building
• 
  Clock tower next to the station

See also

• 2015 Ankara bombings
• Ankara train collision, occurred in 2018 when a high-speed train bound Konya collided shortly after departure with a locomotive killing 9 and injuring more than 80 people

References

1. CFOA History - Trains of Turkey CFOA History
2. TCDD History -Trains of Turkey TCDD History
3. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Steam & Rail - By Colin Garratt and Max Wade-Matthews, page 397
4. Melvin, Don (10 October 2015). "At least 105 killed in twin bombings near train station in Turkey's capital". cnn.com. CNN.
5. "Ölü Sayısı 105'e Yükseldi" (in Turkish). TTB. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
6. "BBC: Ankara explosions leave more than 80 dead – officials". BBC News. October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
7. Eskişehir Ankara Hızlı Tren (in Turkish)
8. The list (in Turkish) Archived 2013-10-31 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• TCDD History: Electrification Trains of Turkey
• CFOA - Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie Trains of Turkey