Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the “Touristic Eastern Express,” operating on the Ankara-Kars route, listed among the top four most beautiful train routes in the world, will run three times a week starting from December.
“This season, the Express will make 42 journeys in each direction between Ankara and Kars, totaling 84 journeys,” he said.
Uraloğlu provided information about the Touristic Eastern Express, which operates between Ankara and Kars, to the AA reporter. He mentioned that due to Turkey’s geographical location, it has advantages for both domestic and international train tours. Regular train tours were organized from the 1990s until the mid-2000s, he added.
The Touristic Eastern Express, operating on the stunning Ankara-Kars route, offers a high-quality and unique holiday option to people of all ages, especially to the youth, nature enthusiasts, and photography groups. Uraloğlu stated that the Express has gained immense popularity in recent years, attracting travel enthusiasts of all ages and nationalities. “Starting from December, the Express will operate three times a week, running between December 11, 2023, and March 8, 2024,from Ankara and between December 13, 2023, and March 10, 2024, from Kars. It will depart from Ankara on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and from Kars on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays,” he explained.
The train, consisting of eight sleeper cars and one dining car, has a capacity of 160 people. It will make stops at tourist locations, allowing passengers to explore historical and scenic spots on the route, pausing for approximately three hours at Erzincan and Erzurum on the Ankara-Kars direction and at İliç, Divriği, and Sivas on the Kars-Ankara direction.
Uraloğlu mentioned that six of the eight sleeper cars would have tickets sold through travel agencies, while the remaining two would be sold by TCDD to individual passengers. He also noted that instead of a fixed price policy, a variable pricing policy considering economic conditions, operational costs, and demand status has been implemented for this season’s Touristic Eastern Express.
Uraloğlu added that, in addition to the Touristic Eastern Express operating on the Ankara-Kars-Ankara line, support will be provided for the operation of tourism-oriented trains on new domestic routes, based on the demands arising from collaborations with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, NGOs, tourism agencies, and other relevant institutions.