Ankaray, designated as the A1, is a long

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

line of the

Ankara Metro The Ankara Metro () is the rapid transit system serving Ankara, the capital of Turkey. At present, Ankara's rapid transit system consists of three metro lines – the ''Ankaray (A1)'', the ''M1 - M2 - M3'' and the ''M4''. The Ankaray, M1, M2, M3 ...

system in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. 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 The Istanbul Metro () is a rapid transit railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Apart from the M11 line, which is operated by TCDD Taşımacılık, the system is operated by Metro Istanbul, a public enterprise controlled by th ...

. Ankaray begins at the Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal in southeastern Yenimahalle 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 In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of the words ''Ankara'' and ''ray'' (rail).

History

Plans to construct a medium-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,

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 a ...

and EGO and was approved in late 1991. The line was planned to begin in Söğütözü 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 and political theorist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was la ...

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

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

and ahead of the M1 line of the

(1997) and the Bornova—Üçyol Line of the

İzmir Metro The İzmir Metro () is a Medium-capacity rail system, light metro system serving the city of İzmir, Turkey. The current system, consisting of M1 (İzmir Metro), one line, starts from Narlıdere Kaymakamlık station in the southwestern portion of ...

(2000).

Operation

Route

Ankaray runs along a mostly east-west route from the Ankara Intercity Coach Terminal in Söğütözü 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. At Maltepe station, an out-of-system connection to the Ankara railway station 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 (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a ...

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 The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...

and

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

, 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 track (r ...

, which is electrified at 750 V DC. 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 Yenimahalle.

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

{{reflist, refs= {{cite magazine , last=Kara , first=Dilaver , date=July 1996 , title=Ankara Hafif Raylı Toplu Taşım (Ankaray) Sistemi , url=https://www.imo.org.tr/resimler/ekutuphane/pdf/1224.pdf , magazine=Türkiye Mühendislik Haberleri , access-date=16 January 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117012200/https://www.imo.org.tr/resimler/ekutuphane/pdf/1224.pdf , archive-date=17 January 2018 , url-status=dead {{cite web, url=https://www.ego.gov.tr/tr/sayfa/1085/a1-ankaray-dikimeviasti-rayli-toplu-tasim-sistemi , title=Ankaray Hattı Uzatması , website=ego.gov.tr , language=Turkish , access-date=16 January 2018 {{cite web , url=http://www.ego.gov.tr:80/tr/sayfa/2156/rayli-sistemler-dairesi-baskanligi-ankaray , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530224748/http://www.ego.gov.tr/tr/sayfa/2156/rayli-sistemler-dairesi-baskanligi-ankaray , title=Ankaray Tarihi , website=ego.gov.tr , language=Turkish , archive-date=30 May 2015 , access-date=16 January 2018 , url-status=live {{cite web , url=https://www.gercekgundem.com/gok-sogutozu-asti-baglantisini-sordu-276093h.htm , title=Gök, Söğütözü - AŞTİ bağlantısını sordu Kaynak: Gök, Söğütözü - AŞTİ bağlantısını sordu , website=gercekgundem.com , language=Turkish , date=25 May 2017 , access-date=16 January 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117070214/https://www.gercekgundem.com/gok-sogutozu-asti-baglantisini-sordu-276093h.htm , archive-date=17 January 2018 , url-status=dead {{cite web, url=https://www.ego.gov.tr/tr/sayfa/2098/tasima-ucretleri , title=Taşıma Ücretleri , website=ego.gov.tr , language=Turkish , access-date=16 January 2018

External links

Ankaray Official SiteEGO Ankara
Public transport in Ankara Ankara Metro Railway lines opened in 1996 Standard-gauge railways in Turkey 1996 establishments in Turkey