High-speed rail line connecting Turkey's Ankara-Konya concluded

High-speed rail line connecting Turkish capital of Ankara to central Anatolian province of Konya has been concluded.

Suleyman Karaman, Director General of the Turkish State Railways, or TCDD, said Tuesday the 250-km rail line was ready to serve passengers. He said the high speed rail line was the only local line that was completed in the shortest time and with the cheapest cost.

Karaman said they were planning to launch services at a time which was also suitable to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Test-run of the 1 billion TL Ankara-Konya high-speed rail line was conducted in June. TCDD will use 12 high-speed train sets with a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour. TCDD will procure 6 more sets with up to 350 kilometers per hour.

Journey time between the two cities will be 1 and a half hours.

TCDD officials promised cheaper promotional tickets at the beginning of the new service.

Turkey started high-speed railway projects in 2003. The first section, between Ankara and Eskisehir, was inaugurated in 2009. It is a part of the 533 km Istanbul-Ankara high-speed rail line.


/World Bulletin/