Turkey gets EIB loan for high speed railway project

ISTANBUL, Dec 15, 2006 (AFP) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) granted Turkey a loan of 850 million euros (1.1 billion dollars) to build the country's first high speed railway between capital Ankara and financial centre Istanbul, the bank said on Friday.

The loan is a key element of the Turkish State Railway's plans to improve connections between Ankara and key areas of economic activity and respond to rising demand for railway services, said an EIB statement received here.

The project involves the construction of a 533-kilometre (330-mile) railway track between the two cities with trains travelling at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour, thus reducing travel time to three hours.

The project will cost 2.6 billion euros and is to become fully operational in 2008.

Turkey has been under pressure to overhaul its decades-old decrepit railway system since a series of fatal train accidents two years ago.

Thirty-seven people were killed in July 2004 when a newly inaugurated express train derailed in northwestern Turkey, and another eight people perished a month later when two trains crashed head-on in the same region.

Also, Ankara-Konya high speed train line is under constraction. The third line will be built between Ankara-Izmir.

3 railway lines to be built with 250km/hr speed! Major investment of $3 billion for Istanbul-Ankara line! That is remarkable. Good luck Turkey :)

How much is being invested in other two lines? What distances are we talking about for the three lines?

and thats the new central station in Ankara

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/3742/untitled7api8.jpg


Youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esseBFg6aUY

Well done Turkey :)

Finally the first phase has been completed and test drives started one week ago.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2011/ithighjm4.jpg


The first video:
2gMbAB-muCA



Turkey will use 3 types of highspeed trains:

TCDD ordered 2x Italian made ETR 500
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8610/etr500gr3.jpg

10 Spanish made CAF
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6572/cafke1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/TCDD_H%C4%B1zl%C4%B1_Tren.png

and Turkish made EUROTEM (Turkish-Korean production)HSR350X
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7821/hst4il1.jpg

What was completed? The first phase of which line?

Where is the test train running?

Turkey is the first Muslim majority nation to have a high speed train and manufacture its own train..congrats.

Turkey is certainly an inspiration to Malaysia.:)

Thank you for your nice words forrestcat. Well I admired Malaysia for its technology and for Petronas too :D

Btw in order to enlighten Trainman Dave here is a map of the whole project.

Right now the pink and the dark blue line is u/c. (Ankara-Istanbul and Ankara-Konya lines) According to the plan all lines will be completed by 2012. The track you see in the video is the line between Ankara and Istanbul.
http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/images/htharita.jpg

Planned Lines

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/1340/highspeedpo6.jpg (http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5162/tcddnetworktt3.png)


ANKARA - IZMIR RAILWAY

Between Polatlı - Afyon
0673FK7xaYs

Between Afyon - Izmir
mOchwSLJTZE

Length - 624 km
Min Curve Radius - 3500 m
Project Speed - 250 km/h
Number of Tunnels - 13
Total Tunnel Length - 15355 m
Longest Tunnel - 4450 m
Number of Viaducts - 13
Number of Bridges - 189
Number of Stations - 22




ANKARA - SIVAS RAILWAY

DUP9UcSdwcY

Length - 466 km
Min Curve Radius - 3500 m
Project Speed - 250 km/h
Number of Tunnels - 8
Total Tunnel Length - 9722 m
Longest Tunnel - 2958 m
Number of Viaducts - 6
Number of Bridges - 88
Number of Stations - 14


thanks to System :cheers:

Turkish made EUROTEM (Turkish-Korean production)HSR350X
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7821/hst4il1.jpg

Looks like a TGV-clone to me.

TGV POS
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fr/electric/emu/TGV/POS/TGV-POS_4404_1.jpg

TGV clone?apart from having any similarities that all trains should have, i cant see a single clone image on it, and if it was a clone of something that would probably be a japanese train.

TGV clone?apart from having any similarities that all trains should have, i cant see a single clone image on it, and if it was a clone of something that would probably be a japanese train.

Wrong TGV in the photograph. That is the new TGVs. The Korean 350 HST's were, I believe, based the TGV-a trainsets but these have been modified by the Koreans. The heritage is the TGV not the Japanese.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2949537383_4654cf226f.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2417654185_4215991b66_o.jpg

picture taken in 2008 at Ankara yard......

hokomoko, if you notice the other thread everything is together, including the pictures you post. So no need repeat the pictures and divide the thread like this and live the dead thread.

So when can I plan my first holiday to Turkey?

When will these train perform timetabled runs and from where to where?

^^please ask such questions at the other thread instead of at such dead threads?

hopefully one day we will have Thessaloniki - Istanbul HSR. :)

THE HIGHSPEED WORLD WELCOMES A NEW MEMBER TODAY!!!

Yesterday the first journey took place with PM Erdogan and today first passengers can travel between Turkey's capital Ankara and western located industrial city of Eskisehir. The tickets will cost 5 lira(2,5€) in march and after march 40 lira. Also yesterday with the introduction of this new groundbreaking of a new line to eastern Turkey (Sivas) took place which means:

Ankara-Eskisehir completed
Eskisehir - Istanbul u/c
Ankara - Konya u/c
Ankara - Sivas u/c

Here is a current map: The continous line are u/c of which Ankara-Eskisehir is opened since this morning. Istanbul, Konya and Sivas (cities in green boxes) are going to be completed in 2010 and 2011.

The dashed lines to Bursa and Izmir are approved but are still during planing phase right now.

http://i39.tinypic.com/x50jp.jpg


Fresh photos from Ankara-Eskisehir line which opened this morning:

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9351/24vt7.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/01.jpg

Highspeed on the left and conventional on the right
http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/02.jpg

on viaduct
http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/03.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/10.jpg

251 km/h
http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/15.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/11.jpg



some videos:
LLhM2rfc460

showing different parts of the line:
SDyCaJtjL4c




And now some construction photos of other lines. Ankara-Konya to be completed in 2010:

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/36.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/37.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/38.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/40.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/19.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/16.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/32.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/34.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/43.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/46.jpg

Nice.
Which train control is used?

:cheers::yes::okay::applause::master:

Excellent!

Congrats Turkey!

Great!! It has been long awaited and now it has happened. In my personal view the new line that will eventually connect Ankara all the way to Istanbul is a neat, pragmatic solution: it cries to high heavens that the 50+ km south of Izmit are kept "in option" for future speed upgrades if the traffic takes off as they hope it will.

Congratulations to our Turkish friends. - But, hey, with a Minister of Transportation by the name of Mr. Yilderim what would one expect but a new generation of very fast trains? :lol:

Who manufactures the cars?

Which train control? Hmm I do not know much about that topic but is there a "euroean" system? If yes, I guess that's what they used.

Right now 10 spanish made CAF are used but the highspeed train factory in Sakarya is completed so Turkish Tuvasas and Korean Rotem will produce the KTX II in Sakarya which has a max. speed of 350 km/h and looks much sexier! :cheers:

Factory in Sakarya:
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/529/fatihcanfabrikadz8.jpg

Korean KTX II:
http://pds3.egloos.com/pds/200705/29/15/c0016615_08054471.jpg

GO TURKEY !!!!

yay!!!:banana::banana:

Korean KTX II:
http://pds3.egloos.com/pds/200705/29/15/c0016615_08054471.jpg

Interesting train, first time I see. Could be double-deck like the french from which it is inspired obviously...

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/09.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/13.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/11.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/12.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/07.jpg


http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/06.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/05.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/17.jpg

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/03.jpg

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

http://content.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2009-03-10-tren/img/17.jpg
255km / second???!!!!! Holy crap that's fast! :D

^^

"s" means "saat" in turkish.And "saat" means "hour" in english ;)

Korean KTX II:
http://pds3.egloos.com/pds/200705/29/15/c0016615_08054471.jpg

Is that for real? I thought the KTXII was a push-pull trainset, not an EMU

Which train control?

There is ETCS Level 1 with cab signalisation in use. The contract was won by Alcatel. The signaling activities have been transferred to Thales, which executeted the contract. railwa-technology (http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/ankara-istanbul/)

Turkish High Speed Lines


Current Status

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2937/dfdfdfd.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8596/ffhhha.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9241/fdsgdg.jpg

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2497/iiruir.jpg

nice :cheers:

I hope the new KTX II will built as soon as possible.It makes 100km/h difference between KTX II (350km/h) and CAF Trains (250km/h).High Speed Lines are built for a maximum speed of 350km/h.

Btw. When will be completed the part between Eskisehir to Istanbul ???

High Speed Lines are built for a maximum speed of 350km/h.

International Railway Journal says all 8 of the planned Turkish High Speed Lines are being built for 250 km/h operation.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/irj0109/#/20

the record on the existing line is 303 km/h. I think 250 km/h is chosen because of efficienty reasons.

BTW Ankara-Sivas is u/c since last friday :cheers:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8596/ffhhha.jpg

Istanbul-Antalya in 4 hours :).So it will be possible to make a short trip to the mediterran sea with train at weekends to relax and forget the big city and business life.

International Railway Journal says all 8 of the planned Turkish High Speed Lines are being built for 250 km/h operation.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/irj0109/#/20

Then they are contradicting their own data since it is impossible to cover 350km in 1h 15min running at 250km/h. 430km in 1h 45min is also impossible.

Then they are contradicting their own data since it is impossible to cover 350km in 1h 15min running at 250km/h. 430km in 1h 45min is also impossible.

I agree.

This from Railway Gazette:

New line projects

'The hiatus in railway development has left many of Turkey’s major cities not served by rail, or only accessible from the capital by circuitous routes. Much of the network is single track, and only 27% of route-km is electrified. The ministry has therefore drawn up plans for five double-track electrified lines suitable for 250 km/h, which will open up new routes and cut journey times dramatically. By 2013 it expects to have completed 1 938 km of new line.

As well as the Ankara – Eskisehir line, construction of the next section towards Izmit and Istanbul has commenced with the alignment being constructed from Eskisehir as far as Bozüyük although no track has yet been laid. Construction is also well advanced on a direct line from Ankara to Konya, on which the infrastructure works have largely been completed and tracklaying is getting underway. This diverges from the Eskisehir line at Polatli, west of the capital, and runs almost due south to meet the line from Afyon at Sarayönü, north of Konya. This route is expected to see trains running by the end of 2010.

Work has also started on the first section of a new line from Ankara to Sivas via Yozgat, which will shorten the distance between the two cities by 131 km, and reduce the journey time from 11 h to 5 h . And to the west of Istanbul, surveying has started for a 230 km high speed line between Halkali and the Bulgarian border.

Other new routes envisaged include a line running southwest from Ankara to Izmir, which would also diverge at Polatli. This will intersect at Afyon with a north-south line from Eskisehir to the Mediterranean coast at Antalya, which is currently not served by rail. A branch from the Eskisehir – Izmit line at Osmaneli will run to Bursa, and another new line will diverge from the Sivas route at Yerköy to head southeast to Kayseri. Routes to serve eastern cities such as Erzincan, Malatya and Gaziantep are also under consideration.'

Then they are contradicting their own data since it is impossible to cover 350km in 1h 15min running at 250km/h. 430km in 1h 45min is also impossible.

KTX II which will be produced in Turkey and used by TCDD have a max. speed of 350 km/h. The spanish CAF's used right now have max. speed of 250 km/h.
This could be the explanation.

Turkish Highspeed Lines which will be completed between 2008-2013

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9188/99241286.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=99241286.jpg)

Which station in Istanbul will be used for the new HSR line? Any pictures?

yaaay

Which station in Istanbul will be used for the new HSR line? Any pictures?

Istanbul's station will be underground (Yenikapi station) and at the same time it will be a hub where two metro lines, the marmaray line and hsr line meet and also Istanbul's biggest seabus terminal.

http://www.marmaray.com/images/tech_stn_yenikapi.jpg


Ankara's hsr station will be great!

BqeKh9D1gFE

It would be cool if they could build a HSL from Turkey to Bulgaria on one side and from Turkey to Iran on the other side.

as you can see in Tanjus post there is a project to expand the Ankara-Istanbul line to the Bulgarian border. Iran will remain just a dream for a couple of decades I guess.

But the Caucaus is real.The line in Turkey is going till Kars.And there is already a line from Kars over Tbilisi to Baku under construction

:cheers2::applause:

Turkey will have 2013 the longest High Speed Train lines of the world (3431 km).More than Spain (2230 km) and Japan (2090km) at this time.

Turkey will have 2013 the longest High Speed Train lines of the world (3431 km).More than Spain (2230 km) and Japan (2090km) at this time.

Still probably be behind PRC(People's Republic of China) though.

I think the current plan is very optimistic.

It is not going to happen, sorry.

Turkey will have 2013 the longest High Speed Train lines of the world (3431 km).More than Spain (2230 km) and Japan (2090km) at this time.

You left out China. It already has 250 kph on a huge amount of regular railroads, not to mention their 350 kph network under construction.

Beijing-Hong Kong + Beijing-Shanghai will be longer than Turkey, not to mention the rest

but hey, this is great news for turkey

this new network should also be used by freight

you shouldn't have taken the words of this guy that seriously at all but since you don't know him you took him seriuosly which is quite normal.

Turkish High Speed Train in Ankara Station

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/TCDD_HT65000_exterior_2.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/TCDD_HT65000_interior_3.jpg/800px-TCDD_HT65000_interior_3.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/TCDD_HT65000_interior_4.jpg/800px-TCDD_HT65000_interior_4.jpg

Turkish State Railways network: High-speed rail tracks in service, under construction and in plan

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/YHT_Turkey_1200x675.png/800px-YHT_Turkey_1200x675.png

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2681/highspeedrailturkey.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/TCDD_CAF_1.jpg

Nice to see that Spain has Joined the likes of France and Germany and is starting to export its HST outside of Europe. Are there any plans to buld these CAF trains locally or is there only a deal with the Koreans?

Looks cool, are tickets expensive ?

Nice to see that Spain has Joined the likes of France and Germany and is starting to export its HST outside of Europe. Are there any plans to buld these CAF trains locally or is there only a deal with the Koreans?

No Turkey will built Korean KTX II under licence.CAF Trains are too slow.The High Speed Lines are built for over 350 km/h.KTX II reaches 350 km/h

http://www.zelpage.cz/news_n/ktx2_01.jpg

Joint venture EUROTEM factory in Adapazari ( joint enterprise between TÜVASAŞ of Turkey and ROTEM of South Korea )

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/529/fatihcanfabrikadz8.jpg

Looks cool, are tickets expensive ?

Well the line between Ankara and Eskisehir costs 30 TL.This makes 15 €.Istanbul-Ankara will cost 50 TL = 25 €.

Trains are indeed too slow if considering the time won with a faster train over a distance such as ANK-IST. The KTX does look nice indeed, even though they should try and shake the TGV legacy from the design a bit more. So what will happen to these slower CAF trains? Will they be used as shuttles for shorter distances or will they be used in a Kodama-type of way (all-stop slow HST)?

No Turkey will built Korean KTX II under licence.CAF Trains are too slow.The High Speed Lines are built for over 350 km/h.KTX II reaches 350 km/h



The maximum design speed of KTX-II (http://www.rotem.co.kr/Eng/Business/Rail/Railroad/Product/rail1_pop09.asp) is 330 km/h and operational speed is 300 km/h.

The maximum design speed of KTX-II (http://www.rotem.co.kr/Eng/Business/Rail/Railroad/Product/rail1_pop09.asp) is 330 km/h and operational speed is 300 km/h.

still faster than CAF trains ;)

Only 8 months after its inauguration, Turkey's Ankara-Eskisehir high-speed service has derailed for the first time. In the accident two days ago, no-one was physically hurt, but some passengers suffered from nervous problems.
According to the press release by TCDD, the accident cause was not technical but the engineer's fault. Supposedly he had turned off the auto-control and was steering the train manually, but failed to decelerate enough before reaching the turnout (?) at Hasanbey just before Eskisehir, where the train leaves the high-speed track and switches onto the conventional railroute. At this point, the train should operate at 30 km/h, but was apparently still going at more than 100.
While this for the moment averts criticism from TCDD's high-speed infrastructure, it of course raises questions as to how good their driving training for the high-speed trains really was.

well its amazing that noone was hurt, so thats good i guess

At this point, the train should operate at 30 km/h, but was apparently still going at more than 100.
While this for the moment averts criticism from TCDD's high-speed infrastructure, it of course raises questions as to how good their driving training for the high-speed trains really was.

Yeah... well, it also raises some questions about the TCDD's infrastructure - not just their high-speed infrastructure. The HS trains into Paris or Tokyo also use the old "legacy lines" but they normally use them at speeds well above 100 km/h. I have fond memories of sitting in the Thalys and Eurostars into Gare du Nord, overtaking regional trains with so great speed difference that it looked like they were standing still. And yet...

...our Turkish friends say it was all the driver's fault for driving faster than 30 km/h? That's a good one! :lol:

Yeah... well, it also raises some questions about the TCDD's infrastructure - not just their high-speed infrastructure. The HS trains into Paris or Tokyo also use the old "legacy lines" but they normally use them at speeds well above 100 km/h. I have fond memories of sitting in the Thalys and Eurostars into Gare du Nord, overtaking regional trains with so great speed difference that it looked like they were standing still. And yet...

...our Turkish friends say it was all the driver's fault for driving faster than 30 km/h? That's a good one! :lol:

Well I don't see what's so funny. The high speed line from Ankara ends at
Eskicehir now, and trains have to switch back to the old infrastructure, but
that's temporary and will last only until the line is built on its entire length
to Istanbul. In those conditions TCDD did probably not bother to put in place
a very expensive high-speed switch that would be of no use in a mere few
years. It's a perfectly legitimate decision, wise use of public money.

^^My point was simply that it's an abherration to have legacy train lines that can accomodate only 30 km/h. In most of the countries embracing HS technologies in the last couple of decades 300 km/h implied a doubling of the speed that ordinary express trains were running at. In Eskicehir, apparently, the new HS line will increase the operations speed by a factor 10!

^^My point was simply that it's an abherration to have legacy train lines that can accomodate only 30 km/h. In most of the countries embracing HS technologies in the last couple of decades 300 km/h implied a doubling of the speed that ordinary express trains were running at. In Eskicehir, apparently, the new HS line will increase the operations speed by a factor 10!

You have to cut the Turkish State Railways some slack. After abondoning railway as an effective mode of transportation more than 50 yars ago under American influence, they are now trying to change this. Their approach, jumping from 19th century to 21st century standard without bothering to first bring the existing track up to the 20th century is criticized by a lot of us in the Turkish forum, but once they start to change things, there are obviously going to be compromises. The track concerned will be replaced once the train station of Eskisehir is moved underground in the course of HSR construction. Besides: the train was slowing down to enter a station. Nowhere, not even in Paris Montparnasse do trains race into a station at 100 k+ and stop on a dime.

^^Sure, sure, sure... I'm slowly coming to terms with a different development concept from the one I've been used to. I am used to think of HSLs as the "icing on the cake" of a railway network that is already modern and reasonably fast. In Turkey, according to what you say, it is more like a jump to a new paradigm?

But, in all fairness, it has probably been a bit the same in earlier days in Spain. I certainly remember taking, in my early youth, "Rapido" trains that were less rapid than the London underground. In Spain, however, the paradoxes of a lamentable legacy architecture combined with an ultra-modern HS concept has been felt less acutely because of the change in gauge width: an AVE train cannot just run headlong onto the old tracks.

As for 100 km/h in France, you are certainly correct that this speed cannot be employed for the last couple of kilometers before halt. However, I was on the ICE3 from Frankfurt to Paris last Sunday and I can assure you that it was still keeping a respectable 150 km/h through the suburbs - in spite of track crossings and legacy rail with wodden beams.

Spain is definitely the better comparison. Or Greece ten years ago, or Eastern Germany after reunification, although any of them would beat the technical standards of the average Turkish railtrack by lengths. The problem is the PR: politicians here like making grand standing declarations of high-speed rail links to China and to Mecca that lead people to believe that Turkey is living in the high-tech age. When you actually take a train, you remember that there is nothing to it. Having said that, Turkish trains are still among the cheapest in Europe (including the restaurant cars), offer much space per passenger and treats you to great scenery.

^^My point was simply that it's an abherration to have legacy train lines that can accomodate only 30 km/h.

Not a line... Just a temporary switch to link the new HSL with the legacy line at the entrance at Eskicehir station, and that will be lifted out when the HSL
is fully operational.

Btw Ankara-Konya highspeed line:

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/1.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/4.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/6.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/7.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/9.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/10.jpg

Not a line... Just a temporary switch to link the new HSL with the legacy line at the entrance at Eskicehir station, and that will be lifted out when the HSL
is fully operational.

I hope they'll remember to upgrade the 30 km/h-piece as well, then. There's bound to be future cases of incidents (accidents, power failure...) blocking the new line between Eskicehir and Istanbul. In that case the traffic controllers will instruct the train to take the legacy rail for a certain distance. If the cross-over remains 30 km/h, in the middle of a HS line and a not-too-slow legacy line than I safely (and sadly...) predict more accidents in the future.

Hans, how many times do we have to explain it, the present day station of Eskisehir will be moved underground in the course of the construction. The switch onto old rails is just until the new line/tunnel will be built, afterwards the old track will only be used freight and conventional trains.
Messi, I like your pics. While track laying looks quite advanced on this stretch, for some reason nothing has happened inside the city limits of Konya itself. I do not know what they are waiting for, if they want to get this train running in 2010.

Hans, how many times do we have to explain it, the present day station of Eskisehir will be moved underground in the course of the construction. The switch onto old rails is just until the new line/tunnel will be built, afterwards the old track will only be used freight and conventional trains.

Was that a royal "we", Baron? :lol:

I did, in fact, understand first time you told me that the Eskesehir solution is an interim to be replaced when the rest of the line opens. My point was about something else: some form of switch to the old rails will no doubt (?) be maintained also after the tunnel has been built. The hopes I humbly expressed was that the railway company will remember to upgrade that switch as well. Because, otherwise we know what will happen: a new generation of train drivers will forget that the switch is enabled for 30 km/h only, one day the new line will be blocked, and the trains redirected to take the old tracks after Esksehir, and then....

Btw Ankara-Konya highspeed line:

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/1.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/4.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/6.jpg

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http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/sonhizlikonya/son/10.jpg

Ankara-Konya line is planned to open at the end of 2010 :cheers:

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/konu5.jpg

The graphic above is meant to elaborate what I wrote in reply to Hans about the YHT accident in Hasanbey and why the problem of switching from new to old rails before entering Eskisehir will disappear once works progress. We are presently in the middle stage of redevelopment, the bottom shows the tracks as they should appear once all works around Eskisehir have finished.

News on the Istanbul-Ankara line developments:
# Electric wires have been activated on the missing stretch of high-speed track of 15 km between Sincan and Esenkent on the periphery of Ankara. Let us see how much longer it takes them to get this track into operation and thus reduce the travelling speed between Ankara and Eskisehir to the intended 1 hour 5 minutes or thereabouts.
# It is announced that the last part of the Ankara-Istanbul rail corridor rebuilding will open for bidding end of this month. The 56 km east of the Istanbul city limits (Gebze-Köseköy) will be reconstructed mostly with EU money. Strictly speaking this is no longer high speed, as the line will only be increased to a speed of 160 km/h (enough to reduce traveling time from 39 to 24 mins.). As construction should start second half of this year and there is no difference to the present route, Istanbul will be completely cut off from rail for at least 2 1/2 years. Works are coordinated to coincide with the closing down of the commuter railways to Gebze and the destruction of the historical railway stations along this line (and the Halkali line).
So everyone take a last tour on the Gebze suburban railway (or take a spin through the Byzantine city from Yedikule to Sirkeci, one of the most spectacular urban railway lines I know), take some fotographs of the early 20th century stations such as Göztepe. We might never see any of this again.

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/konu9.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/konu10.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/konu15.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/konu16.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son3.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son5.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son8.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son9.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son11.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son22.jpg

http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son21.jpghttp://www.tcdd.gov.tr/genel/hizliresimler/son22.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTlvuAHkI/AAAAAAAAAEU/S-NX_HyjycI/s720/istanbul_haydarpasa.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTlF8czfI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/ra3b9F154Sw/s720/istanbul_haydarpasa1.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpO5o1AOi3I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/gqKnYJtLEHM/s720/istanbul_haydarpasa2.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpO5pIhTDtI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cEy8wm-UkF8/s720/istanbul_haydarpasa_pullman.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTmEp5fOI/AAAAAAAAAEY/QU7br6uWRdk/s720/hsr-yht_eskisehir-ankara1.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTmSaIwWI/AAAAAAAAAEc/UsZCe3q3ijg/s720/hsr-yht_eskisehir-ankara3.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTm7t1_wI/AAAAAAAAAEg/13aVPUzdCV0/s720/hsr-yht_eskisehir-ankara4.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTna-xhxI/AAAAAAAAAEo/gZlzNpCWclQ/s720/hsr-yht_eskisehir-ankara2.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOTn9jIS2I/AAAAAAAAAEs/JY_BZVDm7iM/s720/hsr-yht_eskisehir-ankara.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Iw7xKkmhe_w/SpOToZYOHdI/AAAAAAAAAEw/aI3sl9VtTEI/s720/ankara_bahnhof.jpg

http://medya.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2010/05/06-abdullahgul/01.jpg
http://medya.zaman.com.tr/extentions/haberinfotografi/2010/05/06-abdullahgul/05.jpg

According to the new at Mynet.com today (A summary)
http://haber.mynet.com/istanbul-antalya-arasi-4-saat-olacak-618169-guncel/

The Goal is to build new 9.978km High Speed Line and 4.997km conventional line in 2023.
Double rail line will increase from 9% to 50% and electrified rails from 26% to 60%..
The costs will be around 45 billion dollar. Edirne and Kars will be connected with each other over a line of 3.636km.. Ankara - Sivas will be 466km U/C ..

Ankara - Yozgat will be 1,5h and Ankara Kayseri 2,5h.. Ankara and Istanbul both will be connected with Antalya.. Ankara - Antalya will take 2h45m and Istanbul - Antalya 4h

No Turkey will built Korean KTX II under licence.CAF Trains are too slow.The High Speed Lines are built for over 350 km/h.KTX II reaches 350 km/h

http://www.zelpage.cz/news_n/ktx2_01.jpg

Joint venture EUROTEM factory in Adapazari ( joint enterprise between TÜVASAŞ of Turkey and ROTEM of South Korea )

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/529/fatihcanfabrikadz8.jpg

CAF has new trains who are 350 km/h fast.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6563531899_1c272c8a12_b.jpg

and 4.997km conventional line in 2023.


Confessional is what Roman Catholics do in a wooden box with a Priest.

^^ :lol: Sorry, my bad.. My English is not really good.. Thanks

Bilecik part, pictures are almost 6-7 months old..

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6797804664_519b81216e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797804664/)
IMG_8407 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797804664/) by Fatih Sahin1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/76437851@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6797807574_afcbeebce2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797807574/)
IMG_8416 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797807574/) by Fatih Sahin1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/76437851@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6797809842_931f2ce9d7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797809842/)
IMG_8422 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797809842/) by Fatih Sahin1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/76437851@N02/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6797811752_a687975cba_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797811752/)
IMG_8425 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76437851@N02/6797811752/) by Fatih Sahin1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/76437851@N02/), on Flickr

Ankara-Konya High Speed Line

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Ankara-Konya.JPG/800px-Ankara-Konya.JPG

XUwl0o_EcGc

Hyundai Rotem

Hemu 400x (400km/h)

http://www.kjclub.com/UploadFile/exc_board_52/2012/02/20/HEMU400X.jpg

http://www.hyundai.co.kr/UploadZone/DextFiles/News/PressPhotos/g11(5).jpg

http://weekly1.chosun.com/site/data/img_dir/2009/06/09/2009060900805_0.jpg

What's the speed record for Turkey? I mean there must have been some serious test drives by now.

Something like 270 on the Konya-Ankara line. The track can theoretically see faster traffic, as it is extremely straight, but at present there are only CAF sets in Turkey that can do up to 250 with passengers. Anyways at the moment the line is performing much under its projected operating speed. New train sets capable of 300 and the present construction of a separate track through the Ankara suburbs will hopefully improve things slightly.

Turkey, China mull $35 bln joint high-speed railway project
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-277360-turkey-china-mull-35-bln-joint-high-speed-railway-project.html

13 April 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN , İSTANBUL
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/2012/04/13/train.jpg
Among other planned billion-dollar joint projects, Turkish and Chinese officials are now discussing building a high-speed railway line between the westernmost and the easternmost provinces of Turkey, Edirne and Kars, valued at $35 billion.
Turkish and Chinese officials explored a possible deal for the Edirne-Kars project during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Beijing last week. The Akşam daily reported on Thursday the details of talks regarding the railway in an interview with Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım.

Yıldırım was in China to accompany Erdoğan and a large group of businessmen, in the first visit on the prime ministerial level in 27 years to the East Asian country.

Endeavoring to create a market in European countries, China considers Turkey an area to promote itself with large-scale projects. With the planned connection of the Marmaray project under the Bosporus to the Edirne-Kars railway, a train line from China to Spain and England would be completed. This is a major reason behind China's strong interest in Edirne-Kars, eventually aiming to reach Europe via a railway line. İstanbul is currently connected to the European cities of Bucharest and Belgrade with the conventional railway line, the Bosporus-Europe Express. Observers argued this line could also be upgraded to high-speed following possible deals between the governments involved.

“Chinese officials are expecting the details of the Edirne-Kars project to become clearer. Chinese firms asked us whether it would be possible to split the Edirne-Kars high-speed line into separate projects between certain provinces so different contractors could bid for separate tenders. We [the government] are studying the possibility of offering separate tenders instead of asking one single company or venture to build the entire line,” Yıldırım explained.

The minister also indicated both sides discussed other projects in Turkey, including a third bridge over the Bosporus and Kanal İstanbul, during last week's visit in Beijing. “China is seriously interested in Turkish construction projects. The parties will meet in separate visits in the coming weeks to further elaborate on possible deals,” he noted. Turkey expects to attract as much foreign capital as possible for construction projects worth $80 billion for the next decade. Chinese firms that have a great deal of capital -- along with Gulf companies -- are on the Turkish government's radar in this regard. Turkish officials are in close contact with these investors in anticipation of coaxing as many of them as they can to part with their capital in Turkey.

Edirne-Kars, the country's largest railway project ever, was introduced in 2010. The line is designed to pass through 29 provinces, connecting the east and west of Turkey and reducing the duration of travel from the current 36 hours to 12. With the completion of the planned Edirne-Kars line, the total length of high-speed rail inside Turkey is expected to reach 10,000 kilometers by 2023. Under an agreement signed between China and Turkey in October 2010, China agreed to extend loans of $30 billion for the planned rail network. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway connecting Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku to Kars, currently under construction, increases the strategic importance of the Edirne-Kars line.

Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan, who also participated in last week's China visit, on Thursday said in a written statement that he met with 27 of China's largest companies and that all of them expressed interest in projects in Turkey. “The executives of 27 Chinese firms with a total turnover of $465 billion said they would like to benefit from recently introduced government incentives for new investments in Turkey,” Çağlayan's statement read. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Beijing last week, Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) CEO Temel Kotil said Chinese involvement is also possible for a planned third airport in İstanbul. “The planned airport will have an annual passenger capacity of 120 million, making İstanbul the largest air travel hub in Europe, outpacing the 90-million passenger capacity of Frankfurt.

Three scenarios for Turkey's second nuke plant

In separate comments on Turkish-Chinese partnerships in new projects, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız said on Friday in Ankara Turkey would hold official talks on construction of a nuclear power plant with Japan, South Korea and China.

Although he defined his visit to China as “fruitful,” Yıldız did not rule out the possibility of Japan or South Korea winning a tender for construction of a second nuclear plant. Turkey plans to build two power plants, one in Akkuyu on the Mediterranean coast and another in Sinop on the Black Sea coast. It made an agreement with a consortium led by state-controlled Russian builder Atomstroyexport to build Akkuyu. "We prefer the bidder country that offers the best deal," Yıldız said. He added officials from his ministry would visit China in the coming week to discuss details, adding that the nuclear power plant would be built in line with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and EU standards.

Meanwhile, Yıldız said the government agreed to establish a new electricity generation plant in the Southeast, planning to sell electricity to Iraq's northern cities. “They will in return send us natural gas,” he noted. The minister did not give a specific timeline for the new plan.

Woah, imagine that. High speed rail connecting Europe to east Asia.

That would take days but would still be awesome. High speed train sleeper cars!

Woah, imagine that. High speed rail connecting Europe to east Asia.

That would take days but would still be awesome. High speed train sleeper cars!

Yes, I just wonder what are their plans for the Caspian sea (look at the
map)... Bridge or tunnel ??? :ohno: :nuts:

Why not go around the sea through Russia and Georgia?

^^ thats indeed a difficult point. What can you do about it? tunnel or bridge is not possible.. Around Russia and Georgia is a possibility but that will cost a lot and will take a lot of time.. I don't know.. Via Iran ?.. hmm

Why not go around the sea through Russia and Georgia?

You mean why go via the country that has High Speed railways instead of ones that don't?

All this Central Asian/Middle East section if it's to be built any time soon will have to be sponsored by Chinese. I don't think they want to go through Russia (no control) or Iran (same + unsafe). The line is mostly if not exclusively for freight so going over the sea is not that big of a problem.

You mean, over a ferry operation, then ? Although this looks a bit old-
fashioned, why not ? Provided that the ferries provide enough capacity...
The ports of Baku and Turkmenbashi could certainly be developped to
support this. What are the usual weather conditions on the Caspian sea ?

If we want to stay on a pure ground operation, then Iran is probably the
only possible alternative. First of all it completely skips the unreliable
caucasus region, then Iran and China are much better friends than Russia
and China, and last it's shorter and uses much less border crossings. And
Iran is a country where there is a real will to develop railways.

The report by Zaman is a bit over-optimistic. If you read between the lines, or more detailed Turkish reports, the Turkish side actually got its knuckles whipped for not doing its homework properly. The Chinese side expected detailed planning already, while the Turkish government, in its typically over-enthusiased style, wanted to decide things first and plan later. Now Yildirim was sent home to develop proper plans which can actually be acted upon and not the rough drafts he came up with. Hopefully though things will develop in the end. Railways in this part of the world are in a critical stage. Either there will be major investments into reviving rail soon or airplanes for people and trucks for goods will be the only viable transport options left. Hopefully also the Chinese will strike a deal to integrate the Turkish corridor with Sofia and Budapest, as the EU has been not very forthcoming on major railway aid to its poorer members.
About the eastern side, I hope they seriously aim to connect the HSR corridor to Iran. The connection to the Caucasus by itself is not economically viable, whereas train transport between these two large countries and possibly Pakistan, India beyond are much more likely to generate the necessary revenue to keep such monstrous projects from collapsing. And yes, peace is of course a necessary precondition on all sides concerned.

Either there will be major investments into reviving rail soon or airplanes for people and trucks for goods will be the only viable transport options left. Hopefully also the Chinese will strike a deal to integrate the Turkish corridor with Sofia and Budapest, as the EU has been not very forthcoming on major railway aid to its poorer members.

There are many things in your statements which are not true:

1> Turkey from what I see is making a very strong railway investment already. I don't see how it can be said that they are not doing enough based only in this completely hipotetical and unrealistic China-Europe railroad. If there is any bottleneck it surely is not in Turkey. I doubt that the central asia and caucasus countries will invest in this railroad as it will surely cost a lot of money which they don't have.
2> EU makes massive railway investments in poorer countries. For example please see the map of EU-sponsored railway investments in Poland (red lines are under modernization and green ones are recently finished modernization projects): http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/7069/19stycznia2012.jpg
3> All cases that I know of railway investment not going as fast as it should in EU is not because EU is not willing to pay for it. It is because the countries in question are not willing to do their share of the project even when it is only 25% of the bill. Romania is a prime example as it invests only something like 10% of it's infrastructure budget in railways while the EU expectation is 40% for the railways. Many baltic countries also refuse to pay their share of Rail Baltica. So here is the true cause of lack of investment: Country governments highway obsession. I am 100% sure that the problem is not the EU because countries that are willing to make their part like Poland are taking billions and billions of euros of rail investment money. I think that the EU should start exclusively investing in railways, so countries which don't invest in rail would be punished by not getting transportation funds from the EU. Road building will happen with or without EU funds so no help is needed here.

Agree with you on most points. I was not thinking of Turkey. The ones not doing their homework in rail infrastructure or operations are Bulgaria, Greece, albania, and Serbia. I believe the Caucasus also does not have a good record in promoting railways.
Yes, there are some investments for example in Romania with large EU support and it not happening in other countries often has to do with mismanagement or greed of the governments concerned. However the EU refused to support the HSR from IStanbul to Bulgaria even though it is relatively cheap, easy to realize and is a necessary link between Turkey and the EU.
Spain once promoted rail priority in EU infrastructure support, but was overruled by the usual car lobby of the other states.

Turkey’s Forest and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu attended the signing of the 287 kilometer Ankara-Afyonkarahisar high speed rail project yesterday. This is the first phase of the larger İzmir-Ankara high speed rail project.

Afyonkarahisar, a western Anatolian province, is one of the world’s new hubs of thermal tourism, according to Eroğlu, and has taken its place as an important center for health and congress tourism as well. In terms of the number of five star hotels, it ranks fourth in Turkey, according to Eroğlu. The new Zafer Airport in Afyonkarahisar is scheduled to open on October 29, according to Eroğlu, and will facilitate the province’s thermal tourism.

“I believe the infrastructure for the rail line will be completed shortly,” said Eroğlu. “We are going to connect the Ankara castle with the Afyonkarahisar castle.”

After the rail line is complete, the commute time between Ankara and İzmir will drop to three hours and 30 minutes, which is a huge improvement from the current eight to nine hours, said Eroğlu.

Full news story Here (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/deal-for-first-phase-of-izmir-fast-train-signed.aspx?pageID=238&nID=22925&NewsCatID=345)

Two corrections to that report there: the first ca 100 km of Ankara-Afyon are already built as part Ankara-Eskisehir and -Konya routes. The still to be constructed part is about 160 km in length. This is but the first and easiest of three phases of construction between Ankara and Izmir. Also, Eroglu is gracious when he says it presently takes 8-9 hours to travel between the cities. This is by road, by train it is 13.

Agree with you on most points. I was not thinking of Turkey. The ones not doing their homework in rail infrastructure or operations are Bulgaria, Greece, albania, and Serbia. I believe the Caucasus also does not have a good record in promoting railways.
Yes, there are some investments for example in Romania with large EU support and it not happening in other countries often has to do with mismanagement or greed of the governments concerned. However the EU refused to support the HSR from IStanbul to Bulgaria even though it is relatively cheap, easy to realize and is a necessary link between Turkey and the EU.
Spain once promoted rail priority in EU infrastructure support, but was overruled by the usual car lobby of the other states.
To be honest, the demand is just not enough. We still lack the basic infrastructure, so we need to use the EU funds for that. We just can't afford to build any HSR, due to the major costs associated with any such project. The whole budget for the Operational Programme on Transport for Bulgaria 2007-2013 is about 2 billion Euro, of which 1.8 are provided by the EU, the rest is the national share. That includes the funding for the new Sofia Metro sections, the Trakia, Maritsa, and Struma motorways, the renovation of the railways between Plovdiv and Svilengrad and Plovdiv and Burgas and numerous other smaller projects. Still, even if we upgrade all the major lines to 160 km/h (200 km/h with tilting trainsets) that will still be a major improvement to the current situation. It should happen by 2020-2025. If in the meantime the demands grows, then we might start talking about HSR. :cheers:

A 250 kmh train between Istanbul and Kapikule that then continues at 160 kmh would be a very good start. This would already take a very cohesive effort on the part of TCDD and BDZ. But the Chinese deals are very advantageous: the Chinese government has a huge money surplus, so they are offering credits at highly advantageous rates. Also while I realize Bulgaria has immense probelms wiht its infrastructure and does not know where to start, we should remember that CFR and TCDD did not look much better a few years ago. Now train travel in Romania is reliable, trains are reasonably new, and speeds are picking up. I think Bulgaria should be able to offer rail services on a simular standard, as the country has a GDP comparable to Romania and Turkey, if the ogvernment does nto believe it can solve all transport problems with new highways.

...
Absolutely, however it would take a few years. Just to outline the current plan: The reconstruction and electrification of Plovdiv -> Svilengrad should be ready by 2014. Then it would take just about an hour and 15 minutes from the border to Plovdiv. The renovation of Plovdiv -> Burgas is also going ahead and should be ready by 2014, again for 160 km/h. The same goes for the first section of Sofia -> Plovdiv, from Septemvri -> Plovdiv. In the next programme period 2014-2020 they should finish the upgrade of Sofia -> Septemvri and start the renovations of Sofia -> Vidin and Sofia -> Dragoman at the border with Serbia. BDZ also planning on buying new rolling stock with EU funds, so there will be at least some improvement in the services in the coming years. :cheers:

I don't think they want to go through Russia (no control) or Iran (same + unsafe). The line is mostly if not exclusively for freight so going over the sea is not that big of a problem.
Small correction; Iran is not "unsafe" at all. Unless the criminals and thugs in Washington D.C. and Brussels keep destabilizing and threatening the country.

Small correction; Iran is not "unsafe" at all. Unless the criminals and thugs in Washington D.C. and Brussels keep destabilizing and threatening the country.

I think Iran's internal problems are a bigger threat to its stability than "the criminals and thugs in Washington D.C. and Brussels".

Finally!!! Today there has been a tender for the construction of a new high-speed station in Ankara.

http://hizlitren.tcdd.gov.tr/upload/Images/ContentImages/2010/yeniankaragar/ankaragar1.jpg

Ankara High Speed Train Station receives only one bid

28 August 2012 16:40
Project of General Directorate of State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (TCDD) for building of High Speed Train Station in capital Ankara has received only one bid.

ANKARA

Project of General Directorate of State Railways of the Republic of Turkey (TCDD) for building of High Speed Train Station in capital Ankara has received only one bid from the consortium of Limak, Kolin and Cengiz construction firms.

Ismail Duman who led the commission of the tender in Ankara on Tuesday spoke at the opening and stated that the build-operate-transfer project which previously and successfully was applied in the construction of airports will be applied in the railways construction project for the first time. He stated that if they receive pleasing results, they will continue applying the same system on further projects.
He added that 10 firms had obtained specifications for the tender and the only bid came from Limak, Kolin and Cengiz construction consortium.
According to specifications that the period of construction should not be more than two years long and after required inspections the letter of operating time will be opened in front of the press, said Duman.
The new station will be built on an area of 21,600 square metres after displacing of the current railway station in Ankara. It has been planned that the new station will come up to international standards and there will be cafes and a hotel.
TCDD released for the first time that bids would be going for tender on January 2011. After a few potential problems over the metro line, bidding was postponed in February 2011.
Later on TCDD released the tender bid of the Ankara High Speed Train Station on July 17, 2012 however it was postponed to August 28 with the demand of firms who obtained specifications.
Foundations of Kolin Group of Companies was laid down in 1977 with the establishment of Kolin Construction and it is a preferred business partner in several parts of the world as well as in Turkey provides services to a wide constituency which encompasses Libya, Azerbaijan, Uganda and Serbia. LIMAK was established in 1976 with the aim of operating in engineering and construction areas. Cengiz construction first came into market in 1980 which also have numerous giant projects of construction.

http://www.aa.com.tr/cdn/documents/AA/content_new/481/ankarahizlitren-jpg20120828164232.jpg&w=609&h=424

^^ Interesting design, reminds me of an ancient warship or a phalanx

Good luck with the Balkan section of that "high speed" line ;) (see last page)

Design is huge letdown for me. It looks like grounded cruise ship.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2v3rhw5.jpg

That look like a type of vehicle from the future.

Curren one is the red/brown one
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9287/gecitwr6ax8.jpg

Railway Gazette
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/passenger/single-view/view/tcdd-launches-eskisehir-konya-high-speed-service.html


TCDD launches Eskisehir – Konya high speed service

28 March 2013

TURKEY: A direct high speed service linking Eskisehir and Konya was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 23, accompanied by Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım and TCDD Director General Süleyman Karaman.

Introduction of the direct service follows the completion of a 5 km west-to-south connecting curve linking the Eskisehir – Ankara and Ankara – Konya high speed lines near Polatlı. Journey time for the 355 km trip is 2 h, compared with 8 h using the existing line via Afyon and Alayunt or 5½ h by bus. TCDD is initially operating two direct trains in each direction per day, and says more will be introduced after additional high speed trainsets have been procured.

The Prime Minister said he hoped to see the start of high speed services between Eskisehir and Istanbul before the end of this year, following the inauguration of the Marmaray tunnel to coincide with the republic’s 90th anniversary celebrations on October 29.

In a few more years, he continued, Sivas, Yozgat, Kırıkkale, Afyon, Usak, Manisa, Izmir and Bursa would be linked to the high speed network, which would connect 14 provinces. Beyond that high speed lines would be built south from Konya to Karaman, Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Gaziantep. ‘We're going to serve all these cities, and I hope it will not be long until the high speed train reaches Gaziantep’, he said.

Yıldırım added that after almost half a century of neglect, railway investment had reached ‘record levels’ in the last decade, with a total spend of YTL 26bn. This had seen an average of 137 km of new line added to the network each year, lifting the total from 9 700 km to almost 11 :000. Another 3 700 km was under construction or planned, and much of the existing network was being totally renewed, he said.


http://www.hakimiyet.com/images/haberler/eskisehir_konya_yht_biletleri_tukendi_h46536.jpg
http://www.hakimiyet.com/gundem/eskisehir-konya-yht-biletleri-tukendi-h46536.html

http://www.rayhaber.com/wp-content/uploads/eskisehir-konya-hizli-tren-acilisi.jpg
http://www.rayhaber.com/2013/konya-eskisehir-yht-seferlerini-basbakan-erdogan-baslatacak/

SIEMENS won tender for 6 train sets and 1 Simulator for the Eskisehir-Konya Highspeed Route with average 300 km/h speed
http://cmsmedya.zaman.com.tr/2013/03/24/erdogan-1.jpg


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Turkey_High_Speed_Rail.png/800px-Turkey_High_Speed_Rail.png

General photos,
http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/10/01/20121001114751-90008cd7-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/10/01/20121001114810-404b90cd-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/10/01/20121001114905-c0663815-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/10/01/20121001114932-ee80506b-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/10/01/20121001115048-7390a3f9-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080

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Ankara-Sivas,
http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408115222-515a87c6-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408120022-ef635e12-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408114230-eeceb24a-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408111013-46b22b0d-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408101604-3c2ea36f-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2013/04/08/20130408101627-7b58f975-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080
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New Ankara station
Yeni Ankara Garı, :(

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/11/29/20121129101220-9d5cb229-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/11/29/20121129101248-7a0dfc43-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/11/29/20121129101224-31967b26-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/11/29/20121129101230-7dd970ea-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080/_data/i/upload/2012/11/29/20121129101241-674d8ff4-me.jpg

http://212.175.99.118:8080

Zavallı eski gar :(

When is the line between Istanbul and Eskisehir opening?

Can't find the source anymore (one of Yildirim's speeches of the last months), but I remember the following dates (no guarantee, but if you believe Yildirim, you do not have a guarantee either):

29 Oct 2013: Eskisehir-Istanbul (half-finished line)
2015: Eskisehir-Istanbul (fully operational)
2016: Ankara-Sivas, Bursa-Bilecik
2020: Polatli-Izmir
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