Ankaray, designated as the A1, is a long

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

line of the

Ankara Metro The Ankara Metro ( tr, Ankara Metrosu) is the rapid transit system serving Ankara, the capital of Turkey. At present, Ankara's rapid transit system consists of two metro lines – the ''Batıkent Metrosu (M1)''and the new ''Keçiören Metrosu (M4 ...

system in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. Opened in 1996, it is the oldest rapid transit line in Ankara and the second oldest in Turkey after the M1 line of the Istanbul Metro. Ankaray begins at the Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal in southeastern

Yenimahalle Yenimahalle is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, a fast-growing urban residential district of the city of Ankara, Turkey's capital. According to 2010 census, population of the urban center is 648 ...

and runs east to Dikimevi in northeastern Çankaya and consists of 11 stations. In 2017, the line saw over 33.5 million boardings, making it the second busiest line of Ankara Metro, after the M1. Despite being a rapid transit line, the city of Ankara classifies Ankaray as a light-rail line. The name ''Ankaray'' is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsmedium-capacity rapid transit line were included in the City of Ankara's 1990 investment plan. The planned line was reviewed jointly by the Undersecretariat of the Treasury,

State Planning Organization State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ...

and EGO and was approved in late 1991. The line was planned to begin in

Söğütözü Söğütözü is a neighbourhood in Çankaya, the main central business district of Ankara, Turkey. It is located between the Eskişehir Road ( D-200 Eskişehir Yolu) and Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo. Its postal code is 06510. Many of the cit ...

and run east to Dikimevi, through Kızılay. At Kızılay, transfer to the under construction M1 line to Batıkent would be possible. Further eastward extension into Mamak was also considered but never approved. Construction of the line began on 7 April 1992 and was completed in 1996. The opening of Ankaray took place on 30 August 1996 in a ceremony in which Prime Minister

Necmettin Erbakan Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician, engineer, and academic who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later ban ...

inaugurated the line. Ankaray became the second rapid transit line in Turkey, after the M1 line in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

and ahead of the M1 line of the

(1997) and the Bornova—Üçyol Line of the

İzmir Metro İzmir Metro ( tr, İzmir Metrosu) is a metro system in İzmir, Turkey that is in the process of being extended with new stations being put in service. The current system, consisting of one line, starts from Fahrettin Altay station Göztepe in t ...

(2000).

Operation

Route

Ankaray runs along a mostly east-west route from the Ankara Intercity Coach Terminal in

to Dikimevi in northeast Çankaya, consisting of 11 stations. The majority of the route is underground, with the exception being the westernmost portion of the line between AŞTİ and Emek stations. The route begins at AŞTİ, with he station located on the east side of Mevlana Boulevard, across from the Coach Terminal. The route runs within an embankment to Emek, then heads underground about north of the station. The route turns east at Bahriye Üçok Avenue and continues under the Avenue, which becomes Gazi Mustafa Kemal Boulevard near

Anıtkabir Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and the first President of the Republic of Turkey. It is located in Ankara and was designed by architects Professor Emin On ...

. At Maltepe station, an out-of-system connection to the

Ankara railway station Ankara railway station ( tr, Ankara Garı) is the main railway station in Ankara, Turkey, and is a major transportation hub within the city. The station is the eastern terminus of the Istanbul-Ankara railway corridor, as well as the easternmost s ...

is available. The line continues east reaching Kızılay, where transfer to M1 and M2 lines are available. After Kızılay the Ankaray route continues under Ziya Gökalp Avenue, until Kurtuluş. At Kurtuluş, transfer to commuter rail service is available. From Kurtuluş the route continues under Cemal Gürsel Avenue until reaching its eastern terminus, Dikimevi.

Fares

Like all mass transit in the Ankara area, Ankaray uses the Ankarakart

smartcard A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...

system. The entire route is within the same fare zone. The cost of a single ride, using the Ankarakart, costs ₺2.50 ( $0.67, as of 2018) for a full fare, while a reduced fare ride costs ₺1.75 ($0.47). A non-Ankarakart single ticket costs ₺4 ($1.07). Transferring to Ankaray via another metro line or bus costs ₺1 ($0.27) for full fare and ₺0.25 ($0.07) for reduced fare riders.

Stations

(*)Starred transfers are under construction.

Rolling stock

Ankaray uses different rolling stock than the rest of the Ankara Metro system. Built jointly by

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, ...

and

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

, they were ordered by the Ankara Municipality in January 1992 and delivered shortly before the opening of the line. A total of 33 cars were built and delivered for the line; 22 with an operator's cabin and 11 without. Trains draw power via

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...

, which is electrified at

750 V DC This is a list of the power supply systems that are, or have been, used for tramway and railway electrification systems. Note that the voltages are nominal and vary depending on load and distance from the substation. Many modern trams and trains ...

. Ankaray trains usually operate with a total of six cars (3 married pairs). Each married pair of cars has a length of and a width of . All Ankaray rolling stock is stored and maintained at the Söğütözü Maintenance Facility in

Söğütözü expansion

Expansion of the Ankaray line from AŞTİ to Söğütözü was approved on 25 April 2011 and construction began in September 2012. The short southwest expansion would meet the M2 line at Söğütözü station. The tunnel and station was completed in early 2014, along with the opening of the M2 line from Kızılay to Koru. However, the line has not yet been put into service for reasons unclear.

References

External links

Ankaray Official SiteEGO Ankara
{{coord missing, Turkey Public transport in Ankara Ankara Metro Railway lines opened in 1996 Passenger rail transport in Turkey Standard gauge railways in Turkey 1996 establishments in Turkey