Turkey · High-speed
Turkey's flagship YHT service links Ankara with Istanbul, running from the capital across the Anatolian plateau through Eskişehir and Bilecik before descending to the Marmara coast and finishing at Söğütlüçeşme or Halkalı.
Ankara → Istanbul
High-speed
Why this connection
The journey does something a plane cannot: it shows you how Turkey changes between its two biggest cities.
In motion
The line leaves Ankara on dry upland, works through the hills and forests around Bilecik, and then arrives at the edge of the Marmara Sea, where the last stretch runs alongside suburbs that stretch for miles.
The corridor
Eskişehir makes a natural halfway stop.
The published route runs from Ankara to Istanbul via Eskişehir, Bilecik YHT, Pendik.
Key stops
Ankara YHT GarıEskişehirBilecik YHTPendikSöğütlüçeşme
Ankara YHT Garı
Turkey
Eskişehir
Turkey
Bilecik YHT
Turkey
Pendik
Turkey
Söğütlüçeşme
Turkey
High-speed / intercity
01
Turkey's flagship YHT service links Ankara with Istanbul, running from the capital across the Anatolian plateau through Eskişehir and Bilecik before descending to the Marmara coast and finishing at Söğütlüçeşme or Halkalı. It is the country's first high-speed corridor, opened in stages from 2009, and the full Ankara–Istanbul run takes a little over four hours with a seat reservation required on every train.
02
Ankara YHT Garı to Söğütlüçeşme via Eskişehir, Bilecik YHT, Pendik
03
Reservation: required. Direct online booking is recorded. Pricing is recorded as dynamic. Seats are reserved and sell out on Friday and Sunday services; book through the operator's e-ticket site.
Verified 2026-09-28
Plan the ride
Use the verified journey, booking, season and onboard facts below to decide how to take this experience. Unknowns stay explicit.
This guide does not imply a product variant unless a separate comparison decision is published.
Evidence on demand
Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.
4h 10m
The published route runs from Ankara to Istanbul via Eskişehir, Bilecik YHT, Pendik.
Key stops
Ankara YHT GarıEskişehirBilecik YHTPendikSöğütlüçeşme
Ankara YHT Garı
Turkey
Eskişehir
Turkey
Bilecik YHT
Turkey
Pendik
Turkey
Söğütlüçeşme
Turkey
Jan: Scheduled year-round as a regular timetabled service.
These months show when the train runs, which is a service fact. How good each month is for the experience has not been rated yet, so no month is presented as better than another.
Rail enthusiasts
Especially good
The train and the line itself are a large part of the reason to travel.
First-time rail travellers
Good fit
Frequent, easy to book and a straightforward first rail journey in the country.
Families
Good fit
Short enough, frequent enough or engaging enough to work with children.
You cannot just turn up
A reservation is required for this journey.
Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.
More subjective
Not rated yet: value for money, food & drink, seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, romance, remoteness.
Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.
Prices quoted Fares are set by the operator and vary by class and date; check the official e-ticket site for the price on your travel date.
Not yet verified: rail pass validity. We leave these blank rather than guess.
This is the operator's own reservation entry point. Fares and availability are confirmed there, not here. Journey length: 4h 10m. Checked 27 Oct 2026 · TCDD e-ticket.
The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.
Your next step
Seats are reserved and sell out on Friday and Sunday services; book through the operator's e-ticket site.
Check availability with TCDD Taşımacılık (opens in a new tab)This is the operator's own reservation entry point. Fares and availability are confirmed there, not here.
Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.
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Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 27 Oct 2026.
Official sources
Checked 27 Oct 2026
Checked 26 Sep 2026