Ankara railway station

The original builder, the Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie (CFOA), was engaged in shipping war materials to the fronts in Palestine and Mesopotamia during World War I. Therefore, between 1914 and 1918 the Ankara station had no passenger service and very little freight service. The CFOA fell under British military control after the war, but the Turkish Nationalists captured Ankara and parts of the CFOA. During the Turkish Independence War, CFOA transported troops from Ankara, as the newly named capital of Turkey, to the front near Eskişehir.[http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/History/CFOA CFOA History] - Trains of Turkey CFOA History

File:19 May Square, Ankara Railway Station, Railway Station Club, Building of Directorate General of State Railways, 1940s (16851288402).jpg

After the Turkish independence war ended, the passenger train services from Istanbul to Ankara resumed. The CFOA, now under Turkish control, finally opened the line to Kayseri and Ankara was no longer the terminus. CFOA was then acquired by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) on June 1, 1927, and Ankara station was placed under TCDD control.[http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/History/TCDD TCDD History] -Trains of Turkey TCDD History In 1927 the Anatolian Express was inaugurated as a premier overnight train from Istanbul to Ankara operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL).The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Steam & Rail - By Colin Garratt and Max Wade-Matthews, page 397 The current Art deco building was built in 1937 by Turkish architect Şekip Akalın. As TCDD completed rail lines to other cities, new train services from Ankara such as the 9th of September Express (1939) to İzmir, the Eastern Express (1939) to Kars, and the Southern Express (1944) to Diyarbakır and Kurtalan made Ankara station one of the busiest stations in Turkey. In 1972, the station, along with the track between Sincan and Kayaş, were electrified with 25 kV AC catenary for the Ankara Suburban Railway. In 1993 the Istanbul-Ankara line was fully electrified. In 2009 a high-speed train service operated from Ankara to Eskişehir.

The 2015 Ankara bombings occurred on 10 October 2015 at 10:04 local time (EEST) in Ankara. Two bombs were detonated outside the entrance of the Ankara Central railway station, killing more than 105 and injuring more than 400 people.{{cite web|last1=Melvin|first1=Don|title=At least 105 killed in twin bombings near train station in Turkey's capital|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/10/middleeast/turkey-ankara-bomb-blast/index.html|website=cnn.com|date=10 October 2015 |publisher=CNN}}{{cite web|title=Ölü Sayısı 105'e Yükseldi|url=http://www.ttb.org.tr/index.php/Haberler/katliam-5640.html|publisher=TTB|access-date=11 October 2015|language=tr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614043638/http://www.ttb.org.tr/index.php/Haberler/katliam-5640.html|archive-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead}} The attack is the deadliest of its kind in Turkey's modern history.{{Cite news|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34495161|title = BBC: Ankara explosions leave more than 80 dead – officials|date = October 10, 2015|work = BBC News|access-date = October 10, 2015}}

File:Ankara Central Station 2012 04.JPG

The TCDD Open Air Steam Locomotive Museum was opened next to the station in the 1990's, but was relocated in 2014 due to the construction of the Ankara Tren Garı.

Ankara station has generally been the exchange point between train services in the west and in the east, although trains to the far east of Turkey would originate from Istanbul until 2011. With the exception of commuter rail service, all trains either originate or terminate at the station, continuing Ankara's role as a rail hub in Turkey. TCDD Taşımacılık (TCDDT) operates mainline intercity trains (mostly overnight service) west to Istanbul and İzmir and east to Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalanalong with regional service to Polatlı. Since the opening of Turkey's first high-speed railway in 2009, Ankara has become the main hub for high-speed trains in the country. High-speed Yüksek Hızlı Tren (YHT) service operates frequent service to Istanbul, via Eskişehir,[https://tcddtrensaatleri.com/yht/eskisehir-ankara-hizli-tren/ Eskişehir Ankara Hızlı Tren] {{in lang|tr}} and Konya. However, service is expected to increase with the opening of the high-speed railway to Sivas and Karaman towards the end of 2021, with future service to Afyonkarahisar and İzmir expected to begin in 2023.

Ankara station has 6 platforms with 13 tracks. The station platforms are divided into three areas, each hosting different train service. The platforms are connected via a skybridge.

• Tracks 1-3 are used for intercity and regional service. Intercity trains to Istanbul, İzmir, Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalan along with regional trains to Polatlı arrive and depart from these tracks. A side platform and an island platform allow access to the tracks.
• Tracks 4-5 are used for freight trains passing through Ankara, along with the occasional equipment move from Marşandiz Yard. Freight trains run mostly at night or late evening with some service mid-day. This is done to minimize interference with passenger rail service.
• Tracks 6-7 are for Başkentray commuter service to Sincan and Kayaş. An island platform services both tracks however access to this platform requires the payment of a fare, using the AnkaraKart.
• Tracks 8-13 are exclusively for high-speed train service. These tracks are also indoors as they sit underneath the Ankara Tren Garı building. Platforms here connect directly into the high-speed rail concourse, however the rest of Ankara station can be accessed via the skybridge.

The Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers lists Ankara Central Station as one of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects realized in the first 50 years of the chamber.[http://www.hhportal.com/mimarlik/649149-50-yilda-50-eser.html The list {{in lang|tr}}] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031161007/http://www.hhportal.com/mimarlik/649149-50-yilda-50-eser.html |date=2013-10-31 }}

Ankara station platforms.jpg|Looking east at the platforms

Ankara asv2021-10 img18 Railway station.jpg|Looking west at the platforms

Ankara station platforms 3.jpg|View of the Art Deco building trackside

YHT train at Ankara railway station.jpg|A high-speed train on the tracks below the ATG building

Ankara asv2021-10 img21 Railway station.jpg|Clock tower next to the station

• 2015 Ankara bombings
• Ankara train collision, occurred in 2018 when a high-speed train bound Konya collided shortly after departure with a locomotive killing 9 and injuring more than 80 people

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Ankara Central Station}}

• [http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/History/TCDD#toc9 TCDD History: Electrification] Trains of Turkey
• [http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/History/CFOA CFOA - Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie] Trains of Turkey

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{{Fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey}}

Category:Railway stations in Ankara Province

Category:Art Deco architecture in Turkey

Category:Buildings and structures in Ankara

Category:Art Deco railway stations

Category:Railway stations in Turkey opened in 1892

Category:Railway stations in Turkey opened in 1937