Will it be the Eastern Express?

Will it be the Eastern Express?
In the years to come, if Allah gives health; If I have time and money, I want to make long train journeys.

The train is a completely different means of transportation. I cannot imagine that any other means of transportation can replace the train. It is tall, tiring, but it is awesome fun. I'm obsessed, I try to follow the big train around the world.

There are two big train tours around the world. One is a Trans Siberian Train, the other is the African Train. The alternative in our country is the Eastern Express.

Trans Siberian Express is an extraordinary event. Too luxurious, too expensive. Goers, very rich people aged 60 and over from Turkey and the world. The train starts from the coast of the Ocean all the way east of China. Over 9 thousand kilometers passes, arriving in Moscow. 7 days, 7 nights. He stops at the big cities he passes through, and the passengers travel around the region by buses. Local life is entered into the Mongolian steppes. The train stops on the edge of Lake Baikal, one of the most important natural treasures in the world, and its passengers enter the ice-cold water believing the prophecy "Who swims in this lake will be immortal".

The African Train is yet another adventure. It sets out from Dar es Salaam in Egypt, the northernmost of the Black Continent. This train is also extremely luxurious. It crosses all of Africa from north to south. It ends in Cape Town, the southernmost tip of the continent in Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa. You pass through areas full of wild animals and wave to lions and elephants during a 5.742-day journey on the 14-kilometer road. You see the world's largest waterfalls and meet African natives.

Two trains at the comfort of the 5 star hotel. Every day, extraordinary dishes are prepared in the restaurants.

The alternative in Turkey, much shorter and was certainly not luxurious, if not the East Express. While the trains are running, just for pleasure, to Ankara with the Boğaziçi Express, Anadolu Express; I had gone to Denizli after Kocaelispor with Pamukkale Express. I really wanted to take the Eastern Express, I never had that much time.

Eastern Express used to depart from Haydarpaşa every day around 08.30:1928. 90 kilometers of road to Kars. It was used in the War of Independence, in the first years of the Republic. It stops at 38 stations on the way from Haydarpaşa to Kars. It arrives in Kars in 40 hours and XNUMX minutes.

There were 1st position, 2nd position, sleeping cars on the train. It is cheap .. It used to depart from Haydarpaşa with 250-300 passengers each time. Eastern Express started to empty in Hereke with the landing of the students coming from Istanbul to KOU. The other day, I watched it in the Oriental Express Documentary prepared by journalist Nazım Alpman.

The 26th stop of the train is Ankara. From here on, the train with 7 wagons only has 25-30 passengers until Erzurum. Go to sleep alone in the compartment. The old railway is broken after Ankara. Moreover, the power lines run out and the diesel locomotive gets caught in the train. For this reason, the speed of the Eastern Express decreases to 55 kilometers per hour. The train passes through Sivas, Erzincan. It is getting crowded again in Erzurum. Let's say he wakes up from Istanbul Haydarpaşa on Monday morning, arrives in Kars around 22.00:XNUMX on Tuesday night.

It may seem like there is no point in using the 1.5 hourly route in 38 hours. But this is a different journey. You meet the people of Anatolia, you speak. You play saz, you sing together.

Nowadays, the AKP government has started a big move on railways. Turkey's major cities will be connected by fast trains. It seems that neither the Bosphorus, nor the Anatolian, nor the Pamukkale Express, nor the Eastern Express will remain.

I still have concerns. Maybe, even between Izmit and Istanbul, suburban trains will not work.

Yet train is a different culture. Trains must be. Suburban train between Istanbul and Adapazarı; There should also be the Eastern Express between Istanbul and Kars. The private sector operates passenger and freight trains in European countries, America and the Far East. The Trans-Siberian Express and African Train I mentioned in the introduction of this article are also operated by large private companies, and large tourism companies market their tours.

The government also opened the way for the privatization of railways in passenger and freight transport in Turkey. Be privatized, I'm not against it. But in our country, the train should not be used only for carrying cargo.

Once the new railway is completed, we should be able to go from Izmit to Istanbul by train.

Again, the Eastern Express should work from Istanbul to Kars. If it works, I'm determined to join this 38-hour journey. I am sure it will be a very enjoyable adventure.

But I'm afraid, they finish the train nostalgia in our country. Although they are investing heavily in railways, they are destroying the spirit of train culture.

I'm sure if our Eastern Express is turned into a luxury and tourist train, many foreign firms will even aspire to run it. Even Trans Siberia, like the African Train, can be a world-class tour of culture travel with the full capacity of 100 for each expedition, which is sought after by middle-aged and older rich people around the world. Even the Van Lake Express should be the Kurtalan Express as before.

We shouldn't destroy trains. Railways only need to be there for high-speed modern trains.

I still have some hope from Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım.

Get fast train .. But Adapazarı-Istanbul, Istanbul-Kars trains also necessarily get.