The new term in the Touristic East Express, which attracts great attention by domestic and foreign tourists, has been determined as 12 December 2022-20 March 2023 from Ankara and 14 December 2022-22 March 2023 from Kars.
Turkey, which has made important investments in highway and airport projects in the field of transportation, will focus on railway investments in the coming period. New ones will be added to the high-speed trains, which are in high demand, especially by the citizens, and they will continue to carry passengers and freight on conventional and touristic lines.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu announced that after the demand from the citizens, the number of high-speed train services increased and the record of all time was broken with 31 thousand 651 daily passengers. According to the 2023-2025 Investment Program Preparation Guide, Konya-Karaman-Niğde-Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Gaziantep High Speed Train Line, Ankara-Sivas and Ankara-Afyonkarahisar-İzmir high-speed train lines, Bandırma-Bursa-Yenişehir in the field of transportation. -Ottoman, Halkalı- Kapikule railway projects and second line constructions will be given priority.
New ones will also be added to the touristic train lines, where domestic and foreign tourists show great interest.
In addition to meeting the needs of hundreds of tourists for food, entertainment and rest, railway tourism offers the opportunity to travel by sleeping wagons during night journeys and to visit designated touristic places during daytime hours.
While long-route rail travel for tourism purposes, which provides the opportunity to see various cultures and geographies, is organized in many countries, Switzerland, Australia, France and Russia stand out in terms of the services offered by trains and attractive routes. Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, Ghan Express in Australia, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India, and Venice Simplon-Orient-Express reaching as far as Istanbul are among the important routes that provide travel opportunities for tourism purposes.
Increase in Demand Brings New Plans
In Turkey, the Ankara-Kars Railway route, operated by the Touristic Eastern Express, is among the top 4 train routes in the world to travel by train by travel writers. The Eastern Express, which made its maiden voyage on May 15, 1949, operates in the Ankara-Kars section every day.
In this way, for the first time by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, traveling by train was designed to travel and see different places, to get to know different geographies and cultures, apart from getting from one place to another. Since the increase in demand for the existing Eastern Express could not be met with the current capacity, a new train was started to be operated between Ankara and Kars for tourism purposes only. Passengers traveling with the Eastern Express on the Ankara-Kars route, while immortalizing their journey memories with photos and videos, shared with the public the curiosity and demand of the citizens, especially for the Eastern Express and other conventional trains.
The Touristic Eastern Express departs from Ankara, passes through Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum, arrives in Kars in approximately 31 hours and travels 1300 kilometers.
Observing the changing geography step by step, passing through canyons and villages, exploring the beauties of Anatolia by watching historical places and unique landscapes with the Touristic Orient Express is a different experience in the memories of the passengers.
In the 2021/2022 winter season, the Touristic East Express was operated on the Ankara-Kars and Kars-Ankara lines 31 times, in total 62 times. Last year, 11 passengers traveled with the Eastern Express and 500 passengers with the Touristic Eastern Express.
New Term Expeditions Will Start on December 12
The new term travel calendar of the Touristic Eastern Express has also been prepared. There will be flights from Ankara between 12 December 2022 and 20 March 2023, and from Kars between 14 December 2022 and 22 March 2023. The train will depart from Ankara on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and from Kars on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The express will stop in Erzincan and Erzurum in the Ankara-Kars direction, and in İliç, Divriği and Sivas in the Kars-Ankara direction. While the wagons on the train were distributed to the agencies to provide collective group transportation and tours, a single bed wagon was reserved for the individual passengers who will travel on the train. Ticket sales will be available through the ticket sales system 1 days before the travel date.
Foreign Tourist Interest in the Touristic Orient Express
The Ankara-Kars Railway route, operated by the Touristic Eastern Express, attracts attention from foreign tourists with its natural beauties, historical texture, historical treasures and cultural features of the provinces on the route.
With the effect of introductory publications made through the press and the sharing of the experiences of the traveling passengers, foreign tourists find a place for themselves in almost every train.
While 1411 of the 42 people traveling on the Touristic Orient Express were foreigners, 10 of the 564 people traveling this year were foreign tourists.
New Touristic Routes
High-speed trains operated on the Karaman-Konya-Ankara-Istanbul line are also the cities they pass through.
created significant tourism activity among YHTs make daily travel possible to distances of 200-300 kilometers, thus contributing to cultural tourism.
The fact that the Eastern and Touristic Eastern expressways attract a great deal of attention in and out of the country, the tourism activity and economic returns on the route they pass set an example for the operation of similar trains on other routes with tourism potential.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure is working to create new touristic train routes outside the Touristic East Express. Preparations are carried out by considering criteria such as institutional opportunities, passenger potential, and demands.
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