Ankara–Kars railway
The Ankara–Kars railway (Turkish: Ankara-Kars demiryolu) is a major railway in Turkey. Stretching 1,446.1 km (898.6 mi) across, it is by far the longest railway line in the country. The railway begins in Ankara and travels east via Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum, until Kars, in the far east of Turkey. The majority of the railway is single-track, however multi-track sections are present within Ankara, Kayseri and Sivas. 652 km (405 mi) of the line is electrified with 25 kV AC, 15 Hz overhead wire in two separate areas: from Ankara to Hanlı and from Çetinkaya to Divriği, and electrification of the remaining 344 km (214 mi) long gap from Hanlı to Çetinkaya is under construction.
| Ankara-Kars railway | |
|---|---|
The Southern Kurtalan Express heading east near Irmak. | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | Ankara-Kars demiryolu |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Turkish State Railways |
| Locale | Central Anatolia Eastern Anatolia |
| Termini | |
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | Turkish State Railways |
| Operator(s) | TCDD Taşımacılık Körfez Ulaştırma |
| History | |
| Opened | 1913 (First section) 20 October 1939 (Last section) |
| Converted to standard gauge | 1957 (Erzurum-Sarıkamış) 1961 (Sarıkamış-Kars) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1,446.1 km (898.6 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single track (mostly) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Old gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV, 15 Hz (Ankara-Hanlı, Çetinkaya-Divriği) |
| Operating speed | 120 km (75 mi) (Max.) |
| Signalling | ETCS L0 |
The route hosts many freight trains, especially between Ankara and Divriği, but also hosts many intercity and regional passenger trains. Among these trains are the popular Eastern Express, Southern Kurtalan Express and the Van Lake Express. The railway also parallels the Ankara-Sivas high-speed railway between Ankara and Yerköy, which opened to revenue service on 26 April 2023.
Built in stages between 1910 and 1939 by two different railway companies, the line originally consisted of three different gauges.