The Touristic Eastern Express ( tr, Turistik Doğu Ekspresi) is a scenic

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

operated by the

Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey ...

(TCDD). The train runs eastward from

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 ...

to Kars Railway Station. The train service debuted on 29 May 2019 with an official ceremony attended by government ministers. The service was established as an alternative to the regular

Eastern Express The Eastern Express ( tr, Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways. The train runs from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars. The train was the first overnight service east of Anka ...

, which runs the same line but was mostly sold-out weeks in advance in recent years for sightseeing purposes.

Overview

The Touristic Eastern Express departs from Ankara at 16:55 hours and arrives in Kars after 32 hours. Departure time in Kars is at 23:55 hours. It leaves Ankara on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and return from Kars is on Wednesdays, Fridays or Sundays. The train with nine cars, including six sleeping cars, one dining car, and two service cars, and has a capacity of 120 passengers. This train services suspended between 28 March 2020-15 December 2021 due the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. In 15 December 2021 train restarted the operations from

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, mak ...

with an ceremony attended by

Adil Karaismailoğlu Adil Karaismailoğlu (born 1969) is a Turkish, mechanical engineer, civil servant and current Minister of Transport and Infrastructure. Adil Karaismailoğlu was born in Trabzon, northern Turkey in 1969. After finishing the Trabzon High School, ...

the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure

Sightseeing stops

The train stops in the İliç town of

Erzincan Province Erzincan Province ( tr, ; ku, Parezgêha Erzînganê) is a province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. In Turkey, its capital is also called Erzincan. The population was 236,034 in 2018. Geography Erzincan is traversed by the northeast ...

and

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses t ...

on the way from Ankara to Kars. On the return journey from Kars, it stops at the

Divriği railway station Divriği station ( tr, Divriği garı) is a railway station in Divriği, Turkey. Located in the eastern Sivas Province, and in the northeast of the town, TCDD Taşımacılık operates a daily intercity train, the Eastern Express, from Ankara (temp ...

and Bostankaya, both in

Sivas Province Sivas Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey. It is largely located at the eastern part of the Central Anatolia region of Turkey; it is the second largest province in Turkey by territory. Its adjacent provinces are Yozgat to the west, Kayser ...

. Touristic excursions organized by the TCDD are offered to passengers during the two- to three-hour train stops. At the train stop in İliç, passengers are taken by bus to

Kemaliye Kemaliye (formerly Eğin) ( hy, Ակն, Romanized Old Armenian: ''Akn'', meaning "spring") is both a town in and one of the nine districts of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The town is known for its historic architec ...

for a visit to the

Karanlık Canyon Karanlık Canyon ( tr, Karanlık Kanyon), literally "Dark Canyon", is a deep steep-sided gorge located between the İliç and Kemaliye districts of Erzincan Province, Turkey, formed by Karasu River on the Munzur Mountains. The Munzur Mountains ...

and then to the water source of

Lake Kadı Kadıgölü ( tr, Kadıgölü) is a fresh water creek located in Kemaliye district of Erzincan Province, Turkey. The source of the river is the outlet of groundwater (that comes from mountains) between Taşdibi and Orta mosques. Source water of t ...

, as well as to the historic wooden mansions. A boat ride on the reservoir of Bağıştaş 1 Dam in İliç is also offered. The passengers then travel by bus to

Erzincan Erzincan (; ku, Erzîngan), historically Yerznka ( hy, Երզնկա), is the capital of Erzincan Province in Eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The ...

, where they visit the

Ekşisu Picnic Area Ekşisu Picnic Area ( tr, Ekşisu Mesire Alanı) is an outdoor recreational area located in Erzincan Erzincan (; ku, Erzîngan), historically Yerznka ( hy, Երզնկա), is the capital of Erzincan Province in Eastern Turkey. Nearby cities includ ...

, the archaeological site of Altıntepe, and the

Gürlevik Waterfalls Girlevik Waterfalls are situated 29 km south-east of Erzincan in Turkey. In the years 1950–1953, the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) built a hydroelectric power plant at its lower section of 3,040 KW. When the third group was added in 1965, the ...

. Outdoor recreational activities such as

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

, and

safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

are offered. During a three-hour train stop in Erzurum, passengers are taken on a sightseeing tour by bus, visiting historic buildings such as the Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai (Taşhan), Erzurum Congress building, and Çifte Minareli Medrese. Tourist attractions visited on the way from Kars to Ankara are the Grand Mosque and Hospital in

Divriği Divriği (formerly Tephrike, Greek: Τεφρική) is a small town and district of Sivas Province of Turkey. The town lies on gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu river. The Great Mosque and Hospita ...

and Gök Medrese, the Grand Mosque of Sivas, Buruciye Medrese, and Çifte Minareli Medrese in Sivas.

Tickets

Tickets are priced at 1300 (approx. US$ 110) for a single-bed compartment. All-inclusive onwards-and-return tour is priced at 2600 per person.

References

{{TCDD Routes Named passenger trains of Turkey Railway lines opened in 2019 2019 establishments in Turkey Amusement rides based on rail transport Tourism in Turkey