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. 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.
Ankara → Istanbul
4h 10m
Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Published primary route
Published end-to-end time
No verified figure published
Check the selected service before travel
Route & corridor
Engineering-led corridor. The map, ordered calls and any engineering detail shown below come from the published route record.
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
Why this connection
The journey does something a plane cannot: it shows you how Turkey changes between its two biggest cities. 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. Eskişehir makes a natural halfway stop. The service is fast rather than luxurious, but it is far more comfortable than the motorway and puts you in the middle of Istanbul rather than at an airport an hour out.
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.
The train in service
Only confirmed onboard details and photographs tied to this service appear here. Unrecorded facilities remain unknown.
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.
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 12 Sep 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.
Continue exploring
saudi-arabia
The Haramain High Speed Railway runs 450 kilometres between the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, calling at Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Abdullah Economic City. The operator gives the line an operating speed of 300 km/h, and the trains are Talgo 350 sets built for desert conditions. It opened in October 2018 and carries both pilgrims and ordinary intercity travellers along the Red Sea side of the country.
Also high-speed
Photo: Saudi Press Agency · CC BY-SA 4.0
germany
The ICE Sprinter joins Berlin Hauptbahnhof and München Hauptbahnhof with only a handful of stops, using the new-build line through the Thuringian Forest that opened in December 2017. Deutsche Bahn markets the service as taking under four hours city centre to city centre, running at up to 300 km/h on the new sections, with intermediate calls at Erfurt and Nuremberg.
Also high-speed
Photo: Reinhold Möller Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0
morocco
Al Boraq is the first high-speed railway on the African continent, opened in November 2018 and running from Tanger Ville down the Atlantic coast to Casablanca in about two hours ten minutes. Trains are Alstom-built double-deck sets derived from the TGV family, and they call at Kenitra and both of Rabat's main stations on the way. It is an everyday intercity service rather than an excursion: seats are assigned, the ride is level and quiet, and the journey replaces what used to be a long half-day on the classic line.
Also high-speed
Photo: Phil Richards from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0
spain
The Madrid–Seville AVE was Spain's first high-speed line, opened for the 1992 Expo, and it still runs from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Sevilla Santa Justa in about two and a half hours, with calls at Ciudad Real, Puertollano and Córdoba. Every seat is reserved. Renfe now runs its low-cost Avlo service on the same infrastructure alongside the full-service AVE.
Also high-speed
Photo: Pablo Nieto Abad · CC BY-SA 2.0
Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 12 Sep 2026.
Official sources
Checked 12 Sep 2026
Checked 12 Sep 2026