It was 400 TL in 2020: Prices for the Touristic Eastern Express have skyrocketed!
Ticket prices for the Touristic Eastern Express have multiplied. It has been learned that the ticket price, which was 1,550 TL this year, will rise to 6,000 TL in the new season.
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The Eastern Express, which citizens use to travel to their hometowns, has become a tourist attraction, especially after being used by social media influencers. Consequently, the prices for the Eastern Express have also multiplied.
PRICES QUADRUPLED IN 1 YEAR
According to a report in Sözcü; the intense interest from travelers and tourists has sent the ticket prices for the train, which departs from Ankara and travels to Kars, soaring. The ticket price, which was 1,550 TL this year, has quadrupled with the new season to reach 6,000 TL.
Ticket prices for the Eastern Express have increased by 4,185 percent in the last 4 years and by 823 percent in the last 2 years.
The first trip of the new season took place from Ankara Train Station on December 11. The ticket price was 400 TL in 2020, 480 TL in 2021, 650 TL in 2022, and 1,550 TL in 2023. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the Eastern Express has been operating on the Ankara-Kars line for 74 years and completes the 1,360-kilometer railway journey in an average of 26 hours.
Uraloğlu said, “Since the day it entered service, it has traveled over 100 million kilometers. It has circled the globe 2,500 times. In addition to the Eastern Express, which receives great interest as one of the top 4 most beautiful train routes in the world, we launched the Touristic Eastern Express on May 29, 2019. Our citizens have a great deal of interest in the Touristic Eastern Express. Therefore, they may experience difficulties in finding tickets.”
84 TRIPS WILL BE MADE
In the new season, a total of 84 trips will be carried out, with 42 in the Ankara-Kars direction and 42 in the Kars-Ankara direction. Additional trips will also be made on the Eastern Express for special occasions such as holidays, semester breaks, and New Year's. During the 86 trips organized on the Eastern Express between December 12, 2022, and March 22, 2023, 20,936 passengers were transported.