High-speed train goes into service in Turkey

Turkey now has its own high-speed train, running at the moment from the capital Ankara to the city of Eskişehir. CNN Türk was there:



Here are some parts of the video:

0:20 Now the first journey of the high-speed train is starting. Journalists were taken on the high-speed train before it went into full service. It went from Ankara to Eskişehir in 1 hour and 27 minutes. The first official usage of the train will start on March 13...more about journalists being on the train first...

(Behind her: Imdat Penceresi = emergency window)

0:50 now going at 117 kph, the seats are super comfortable and check out the place for my shoes...

1:05 now going at 252 kph, and as you can see tea is being served with no problem.

1:19 now speeding up more and more. Talks with the driver for a bit, not that interesting.

1:50 asks the girls if they're worried about safety, they say no.

2:00 talking about security on the train - the train always has armed security.

2:14 now reached Eskişehir. Talks about how quick the journey was, interviews a guy, says ticket prices aren't yet decided, and then finally about how Prime Minister Erdoğan is going to be the first paying customer.


For more info in English, see here, here and here. According to the last link, prices are surprisingly cheap:

If you want to catch a ride, tickets are on sale through the end of March. A trip will only set you back about $3, but after that it’s going to jump to about $15—all aboard!

Edit: here's another good part from one of the links (the second one):

“We’ll connect Beijing to London by 2023,” claims Habib Soluk, transport undersecretary. Fast trains are in vogue, and Turkey wants to present itself as a hub for international connections between Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Caucasus.

Now if we here in Korea could just do something about the annoying block of land known as North Korea that makes us into a de facto island, then we could join the celebration too. Add an undersea tunnel in between Busan and Kyushu (this idea is always being discussed but no concrete plans as of yet) and you'll be able to go from Tokyo to London without ever getting on a plane.