Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the high-speed train operation, which started to serve on the Ankara-Eskişehir line in March 2009, currently carries passengers in 11 provinces and said, “We can offer the comfort of YHT to 35 percent of the population directly and to 54 percent in connection. Exactly 20 million 419 thousand 448 passengers have been carried on the Ankara-Eskişehir line, which is our first pain in the ass, since its opening. Last year alone, the number of passengers carried reached 641 thousand 657. "Even these figures are proof that we have made the right investment for the comfort of our citizens," he said.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that the last 22 years have been a period of significant breakthroughs in railways and pointed out that Turkey is the 8th country in the world to have high-speed trains. Emphasizing that they connect all parts of Turkey with high-speed train lines, Uraloğlu said, “The amount of investment they made in railways in 22 years reached 57 billion dollars. Especially with our high-speed train infrastructure, Türkiye has one of the best railway infrastructures in the world. On March 13, 2009, Eskişehir became the first city in our country to meet the High Speed Train with the Eskişehir-Ankara line. High-speed train operation, which started between Ankara and Eskişehir, continues on the Ankara-Istanbul, Ankara-Konya, Konya-Eskişehir, Istanbul-Konya, Konya-Karaman and, of course, the Ankara-Sivas-Ankara routes that we put into service last year. "Currently, our high-speed train lines provide direct service to 11 cities and indirect service to 9 cities through regional and bus connections, reaching 35 percent of our country's population directly and 54 percent connected," he said.
“We Reduced Travel Time to 1 Hour and 25 Minutes”
Stating that high-speed train lines are preferred by citizens for their comfort as well as speed, Uraloğlu said, “Our high-speed train lines offer convenient, comfortable and very fast transportation to the cities they directly reach. With bus connection via YHTs; "Combined transportation is provided to Bursa, Antalya, Manavgat, Alanya, Adana and Mersin," he said. Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that the Ankara-Eskişehir line is the "apple of the eye" of Turkey as it was the first YHT line to be put into service and said, "When it was put into service, it took approximately 4 hours by road between Ankara and Eskişehir. We reduced this travel time to 1 hour and 25 minutes. We currently operate 2 mutual flights a day, 2+4 between Ankara and Eskişehir. At the same time, Ankara Istanbul YHTs provide service on this line. Since its opening on the Ankara-Eskişehir line, exactly 05 million 2024 thousand 20 passengers have been carried until April 419, 448. Last year alone, the number of passengers carried reached 641 thousand 657. In 2023, each Ankara-Eskişehir high-speed train carried an average of 758 passengers. In 2024, the total number of passengers reached 5 thousand 78 by April 575, and each Ankara-Eskişehir high-speed train carried an average of 455 passengers. "Even these figures are proof that we have made the right investment for the comfort of our citizens," he said.
“Our Citizens Were Satisfied with This Comfort and This Speed”
Minister Uraloğlu pointed out that every trip made by YHTs, which stands out with their fast, comfortable and reliable service, is almost full, and said, “Approximately 35-40 thousand people travel with the comfort of YHTs every day. Even our combined transportation with YHT plus bus or YHT plus train connection provides significant time savings. For this reason, YHT lines are highly preferred. Our citizens were very pleased with this comfort and this speed. "Because traveling on YHT lines has become faster and more comfortable than traveling in the city," he said.