Istanbul-Sivas high-speed train makes its first trip

The Ankara-Sivas High-Speed Train (YHT) Line, which reduced travel time between Ankara and Sivas to 2 hours, was opened on April 26, 2023, with a ceremony attended by Vice President Fuat Oktay.

The Istanbul-Sivas High-Speed Train line, which all residents of Sivas have been eagerly awaiting, also made its first trip today, departing from the Söğütlüçeşme train station at 08:40.

The ceremony held at the Kadıköy Söğütlüçeşme station began with a moment of silence and the National Anthem.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Osman Boyraz, as well as TCDD Transportation General Manager Ufuk Yalçın, AK Party Istanbul Deputy Nilhan Ayan, and AK Party Istanbul Deputy İsmail Erdem.

At the end of the ceremony, the Istanbul-Sivas High-Speed Train was seen off by the participants.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Osman Boyraz said, "On April 26, 2023, we opened the Ankara-Sivas high-speed train line. With the Ankara-Sivas high-speed train line, we reduced the distance between Ankara and Sivas from 603 kilometers to 405 kilometers, cut the 12-hour travel time to 2 hours, and reduced the time between Ankara and Yozgat to one hour. Our line includes Elmadağ, Kırıkkale, Yerköy, Yozgat, Sorgun, Akdağmadeni, Yıldızeli, and Sivas.

By connecting our provinces of Kırıkkale, Yozgat, and Sivas to the Ankara-centered high-speed train main network, we have enabled approximately 1.3 million of our citizens living in these provinces to travel by high-speed train. More than one million passengers have traveled on it since the day it opened. Now, we are all experiencing the happiness, excitement, and enthusiasm of launching Sivas-Istanbul non-stop express services with our high-speed trains together with you," he said.

'3 TRIPS WILL BE MADE IN EACH DIRECTION'

Deputy Minister Osman Boyraz stated, "High-speed train services between Ankara and Sivas are operated with 3 departures and 3 arrivals. In line with the demands for non-stop Sivas-Istanbul services from our passengers traveling by high-speed train from Sivas and Ankara, one of these services has now been planned to continue to Istanbul.

Just like the train we are seeing off here at Söğütlüçeşme Station, the high-speed train service departing from Sivas at 13:00 will continue to Istanbul non-stop starting today. Sets with a capacity of 483 passengers will be used; these express lines will depart from Istanbul at 08:40 and from Sivas at 13:30. Our trains will stop at Yozgat, Kırıkkale, Ankara, Eskişehir, Arifiye, and Pendik stations between Istanbul and Sivas. Of course, some changes may be made again according to the demands in the coming days," he said.

News Source: AA