Ankara–Sivas high-speed railway

Ankara–Sivas high-speed railway
Ankara–Sivas high-speed railway
	A viaduct east of Kırıkkale.
Overview
Status	In operation
Owner	Turkish State Railways
Locale	Central Anatolia
Termini	Ankara YHT station, Ankara; Sivas station, Sivas; Sivas YHT station, Sivas (Future);
Service
Type	High-speed rail
System	Turkish State Railways
Operator(s)	TCDD Taşımacılık
Depot(s)	Etimesgut; Sivas;
History
Opened	Trial run as an evacuation service: ; 15 February 2023 (Sivas-Kırıkkale) ; Scheduled operations:; 26 April 2023
Technical
Line length	406 km (252.28 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Character	Trunk
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Loading gauge	TCDD gross gauge
Minimum radius	3,500 m
Electrification	25 kV, 50 Hz AC overhead line
Operating speed	250 km/h (160 mph)
Maximum incline	18‰
Route map
	; (Click to expand)

The Ankara–Sivas high-speed railway (Turkish: Ankara–Sivas yüksek hızlı demiryolu), is a 406 km (252 mi) long high-speed railway in Turkey and is the second longest high-speed railway in the country after the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed railway. Travel time between Ankara and Sivas was reduced to 2 hours and 50 minutes,^[2] from around 9 hours and 30 minutes with conventional trains.^[3]^[4] The railway will also serve as an extension of the Ankara-Istanbul HSR with a total journey time from Istanbul to Sivas at around 7 hours. The line was opened on April 26, 2023.^[5]

History and the project[edit]

In order to reduce travel time between Ankara and Sivas, TCDD undertook a survey for a new high-speed railway line in 2004. Construction began in 2008 with some pauses in 2010 due to changes in the project. When completed, the Ankara-Sivas journey time is expected to be reduced to 2 hours and 50 minutes compared with a previous travel time of 12 hours. Testing on the line began in March 2020. The line partially opened in February 2023, and other portions started service in the April of the same year.

Stations[edit]

There are a total of 11 stations on the railway, five of which are in operation. With the exception of Ankara, Kayaş and Sivas stations,^[6] every station on the railway has been built exclusively for high-speed train use. When the railway first opened to revenue service, on 26 April 2023, only two new stations opened: Kırıkkale YHT and Yozgat YHT. The remaining stations (not counting the existing stations) will be opened within 2023.

Station listing
Province	City	Distance from Ankara	Station	YHT services^[7]	Additional rail services/connections
Ankara	Ankara	0 km (0 mi)	Ankara YHT	Ank-Siv	TCDD Taşımacılık: Ankara Express, Başkentray, Eastern Express, İzmir Blue Train, Lake Van Express, Southern Kurtalan Express, 4 Sept. Blue Train Ankara Metro: M1, Ankaray
	Ankara	12 km (7.5 mi)	Kayaş	Ank-Siv	TCDD Taşımacılık: Başkentray, Eastern Express, Lake Van Express, Southern Kurtalan Express, 4 Sept. Blue Train
	Elmadağ	35 km (22 mi)	Elmadağ YHT
Kırıkkale	Kırıkkale	76 km (47 mi)	Kırıkkale YHT	Ank-Siv
Yozgat	Yerköy	169 km (105 mi)	Yerköy YHT
	Yozgat	204 km (127 mi)	Yozgat YHT	Ank-Siv
	Sorgun	234 km (145 mi)	Sorgun YHT	Ank-Siv
	Akdağmadeni	298 km (185 mi)	Akdağmadeni YHT	Ank-Siv
Sivas	Yıldızeli	360 km (220 mi)	Yıldızeli YHT
	Sivas	406 km (252 mi)	Sivas	Ank-Siv	TCDD Taşımacılık: Eastern Express, Lake Van Express, Southern Kurtalan Express, 4 Sept. Blue Train
	Sivas	407 km (253 mi)	Sivas YHT

Sections and speeds[edit]

Constructions are divided into four sections:

Section	Length	Max Speed	Notes
Ankara Central - Kayaş	12 km	140 km/h
Kayaş - Kırıkkale	62 km	250 km/h	Opened in April 2023
Kırıkkale - Yerköy	79 km		Opened in February 2023, initially as an evacuation service for the victims of 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake
Yerköy - Sivas	253 km		Opened in February 2023, initially as an evacuation service for the victims of 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake
Sivas Yapı connection	460 m	180 km/h	Short link track connecting to the classic train route approaching the city from the west

References[edit]

^ "Demiryolu yatırımları ne durumda? Bakan Adil Karaismailoğlu anlattı". youtube.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 15 April 2023.
^ Adnan Ekinci. Hızlı Tren Hakkında Herşey (Report). TCDD Genel Müdürlüğü. p. 40.
^ "Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi". tcddtrensaatleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
^ "Doğu Ekspresi". tcddtrensaatleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.
^ "İlk sefer bugün... Ankara-Sivas Hızlı Treni hareket etti!". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-04-26.
^ Sivas Ankara Hızlı Tren (in Turkish)
^ "Yüksek Hızlı Tren Schedules". tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 14 September 2022.

[CNN-1] "Demiryolu yatırımları ne durumda? Bakan Adil Karaismailoğlu anlattı". youtube.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 15 April 2023.

[YHT-2] Adnan Ekinci. Hızlı Tren Hakkında Herşey (Report). TCDD Genel Müdürlüğü. p. 40.

[Güney-3] "Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi". tcddtrensaatleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.

[Doğu-4] "Doğu Ekspresi". tcddtrensaatleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 November 2023.

[5] "İlk sefer bugün... Ankara-Sivas Hızlı Treni hareket etti!". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-04-26.

[6] Sivas Ankara Hızlı Tren (in Turkish)

[yht-7] "Yüksek Hızlı Tren Schedules". tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 14 September 2022.

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History and the project[edit]

Stations[edit]

Sections and speeds[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]