It turned out that TCDD had not operated more than 200 regional lines and main line voyages that it stopped in March for months. Utku Çakırözer, CHP Eskişehir deputy, who brought up the grievance of tens of thousands of citizens benefiting from the unoperated flights, said, “YHT flights, which were stopped within the scope of pandemic measures, have resumed in a limited way, but more than 200 regional lines and main lines have not been made for months. Hundreds of passengers were using these lines a day on the Eskişehir-Kütahya flight. 18 thousand of our citizens were benefiting from the Adana-Mersin expedition alone. These trains are the most used by our citizens because they are cheap and where passenger transportation is carried out the most. It is unacceptable that TCDD does not operate rather than increase the number of seats, especially during the period of COVID-19 epidemic, when the number of seats in passenger transportation is reduced. "We send trains to China, but we do not operate trains from Eskişehir to Kütahya." Çakırözer called for the initiation of the trips by taking measures in the budget negotiations in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Over 200 trains have not been running for months
17 Eylül Express (İzmir-Bandırma), 4 Eylül Mavi (Ankara-Malatya), 6 Eylül Express (İzmir-Bandırma), Ankara Express (Ankara-Bandırma), which TCDD stopped in MarchHalkalı), Bogazici Express (Ankara-Gebze), Ege Express (Izmir-Eskisehir), Erciyes Express (Kayseri-Adana) trains, and more than 200 mainline and regional trains have not been running for months. Utku Çakırözer, Deputy of CHP Eskişehir, brought to the agenda that tens of thousands of passengers were victimized due to the stopped train services and called for TCDD to start the trips by taking measures in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Çakırözer said that the YHT flights, which were stopped within the scope of the fight against the pandemic, were started in limited numbers, but the regional train services preferred by the people have not been operated for months. Çakırözer said, “TCDD announced in March that high-speed trains, mainline and regional trains other than Başkentray and Marmaray will not be operated temporarily. Later, the restriction was opened with certain rules. Road transport, air transport, high-speed train services with 4 trains started with 50 percent passenger capacity from Ankara to Istanbul. However, the same protection measures were not taken for regional trains and flights were not initiated even though there was a public service obligation, ”he said.
"Only 18 thousand people use the Adana-Mersin line a day"
Çakırözer pointed out that the regional line train services are among the most preferred trains by the citizens on the grounds that they are cheap and said, “Before the pandemic, 18 thousand people used to use the Adana-Mersin line a day. But now these flights are not made. There are only High Speed Train services. Is there a railroad with 4 trains? "These trains, which our people need the most, prefer cheap and where passenger transportation is carried out intensively, have not been operated for months," he said.
"TCDD should fulfill its public duty"
Saying that one of TCDD's duties is to fulfill the public obligation, Çakırözer made the following evaluations:
'Turkey, No. 6461 Law on the Liberalization of Railway Transport' under the rail passenger transport in the freight line is not possible to make a commercial basis 'Public Service Obligation' as is fulfilled. In this context, one of the duties of TCDD AŞ. Is to fulfill its 'public duty'. Within the scope of pandemic measures, in a period when the number of seats in passenger transportation buses and train services is reduced, while the number of trips is expected from TCDD, on the contrary, flights are not started. Adapazarı-Pendik, Afyon-Eskişehir, Amasya-Havza, Ankara-Karabük flights, where intensive passenger transportation is carried out, has not been operating for months. TCDD is obliged to take precautions to start expeditions and to fulfill its public duty.
Expeditions should be increased
Çakırözer asked TCDD Transport General Manager Kamuran Yazıcı in the Parliament to increase the number of high-speed train services, whose numbers were reduced due to the pandemic. Çakırözer said, “We are negotiating agreements in the Parliament so that trains can go to Baku, Tbilisi or even China, but we cannot send trains from Eskişehir to Tavşanlı or Afyon. More than 200 trains, especially Adapazarı-Pendik, Adana-Mersin, Kayseri-Adana trains, have not run for months. These trains are the most preferred by our people. In the pandemic, we need to increase the number of regional trains that our people prefer most because they are cheap, on the contrary, we do not run these trains. We stopped the flights due to the pandemic, and the high-speed trains started to work in a limited way. But these trains are insufficient. There is no need for a large organization to increase the expeditions. That is why the voyages should reach the old number as soon as possible ”. (Sendika.Org)
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