Are you thinking of logging in Turkey in your Europe plans? A quick trip to Istanbul, Ankara, Sincan or Gebze? If you’re planning to ride the rails as you explore Turkey, then 2008 might be your lucky year. Trains will speed-up in 2008 as the country is in the process of adopting high-speed trains and by 2008, Ankara, the capital, will be a mere 3h from Istanbul.

This train line is one of the most crowded in the country. Currently, there are express trains, a night train and local trains using the line, and in a country where 12 million people travel between Ankara and Istanbul, this is insufficient. However, with the new high-speed trains, this is about to change.

The new high-speed service is being built in two phases, with the first section due to be completed at the end of this year, between Sincan (near Ankara) to Inönü, 251km apart. The second section between Inönü and Köseköy (158km) will be completed in 2008 as well as the linking lines between Sincan and Ankara and Gebze, near Istanbul. The Ankara-Istanbul high-speed project is the first of future projects. Another project will be to link Ankara to Konya, one of Turkey’s major cities in terms of agriculture and industry. Travel time between Istanbul and Konya is currently over 12 hours and will be reduced to 3 hours and 30 minutes.

For travellers intending to visit the country between now and 2008, when the high-speed trains will be introduced, there are a number of types of interesting trains running through the country with, among others: Super Express trains serving large cities where travellers can choose between luxury pullman or saloon carriages, as well as restaurant and sleeping carriages on the night services. You can also travel on the fast “Blue Trains between Izmi, Iç Anadolu and Cukurova or on traditional Express or Normal passenger trains.