Construction of the high-speed railway between Yerköy and Kayseri has passed the halfway mark, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on 18 October. Once the line opens, rail journeys between Ankara and Kayseri are expected to take 1 hour 45 minutes.
The minister said in a written statement that physical progress on the project had exceeded 50%. No opening date or cost was given.
A 142 km branch of the Ankara–Sivas line
The 142 km double-track, electrified and signalled line is designed for speeds of 250 km/h. It will branch off the existing Ankara–Sivas high-speed line at Yerköy station in Yozgat province and run to Kayseri, with stations at Şefaatli, Yenifakılı, Himmetdede and Boğazköprü.
The route includes 15 tunnels with a combined length of 17,329 metres and 27 bridges totalling 6,608 metres. According to the ministry, excavation of the T1, T2, T3/4 and T5 tunnels has been completed, with lining finished in three of them, along with 25 underpasses, 91 culverts and one overpass. Work continues on 22 underpasses, 29 culverts, 14 overpasses, further tunnelling and bridges.
The line is planned to carry 5.5 million passengers and 13.5 million tonnes of freight a year, and forms part of the Middle Corridor, the rail and road route linking Europe to China through Türkiye, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Faster rail to Cappadocia’s gateway
For travellers, the main attraction is Kayseri’s role as a gateway to Cappadocia. Kayseri Erkilet Airport is one of the two airports serving the region, and the city is around an hour’s drive from Göreme and Ürgüp. A fast rail link from Ankara would give visitors arriving in the capital an alternative to domestic flights or long coach trips. Cappadocia’s draw was on show again this weekend with the record Cappadocia Ultra Trail.
Kayseri is also home to Mount Erciyes, one of Türkiye’s best-known ski resorts, which could benefit from easier winter access from Ankara.
Rail network expanding
Türkiye’s high-speed network currently connects Ankara with Istanbul, Konya, Eskişehir and Sivas, among other cities. It was also reported last week that a planned line would link Ankara and Samsun on the Black Sea coast in about 2.5 hours.
Air travel remains the main domestic option for now, and low-cost carriers have reported strong growth; Pegasus said domestic passenger numbers rose 15% in September.
For anyone weighing up where to settle, transport links are a key factor; our comparison of Turkish cities for buyers and residents looks at how the main locations stack up.
Sources
- Ankara-Kayseri arası 1 saat 45 dakikaya düşecek (NTV)
- Ankara ile Samsun hızlı trenle birbirine bağlanacak: Süre 2,5 saate düşüyor (Turizm Güncel)
Photo: Spottingvehicle / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
