Ankara railway station

The original builder, the Chemins de Fer Ottomans d'Anatolie (CFOA), was engaged in shipping war materials to the fronts in Palestine and Mesopotamia during World War I. Therefore, between 1914 and 1918 the Ankara station had no passenger service and very little freight service. The CFOA fell under British military control after the war, but the Turkish Nationalists captured Ankara and parts of the CFOA. During the Turkish Independence War, CFOA transported troops from Ankara, as the newly named capital of Turkey, to the front near Eskişehir.[1]

View of 19 May Square and the Ankara Railway Station taken in the 1940s

After the Turkish independence war ended, the passenger train services from Istanbul to Ankara resumed. The CFOA, now under Turkish control, finally opened the line to Kayseri and Ankara was no longer the terminus. CFOA was then acquired by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) on June 1, 1927, and Ankara station was placed under TCDD control.[2] In 1927 the Anatolian Express was inaugurated as a premier overnight train from Istanbul to Ankara operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL).[3] The current Art deco building was built in 1937 by Turkish architect Şekip Akalın. As TCDD completed rail lines to other cities, new train services from Ankara such as the 9th of September Express (1939) to Izmir, the Eastern Express (1939) to Kars, and the Southern Express (1944) to Diyarbakır and Kurtalan made Ankara station one of the busiest stations in Turkey. In 1972, the station, along with the track between Sincan and Kayaş, were electrified with 25 kV AC catenary for the Ankara Suburban Railway. In 1993 the Istanbul-Ankara line was fully electrified. In 2009 a high-speed train service operated from Ankara to Eskişehir.

The 2015 Ankara bombings occurred on 10 October 2015 at 10:04 local time (EEST) in Ankara. Two bombs were detonated outside the entrance of the Ankara Central railway station, killing more than 105 and injuring more than 400 people.[4][5] The attack is the deadliest of its kind in Turkey's modern history.[6]

A TCDD HT65000 at the Ankara Central Station 2009 to 2016

The TCDD Open Air Steam Locomotive Museum was opened next to the station in the 1990's, but was relocated in 2014 due to the construction of the Ankara Tren Garı.

Ankara station has 6 platforms with 13 tracks. The station platforms are divided into three areas, each hosting different train service. The platforms are connected via a skybridge.

• Tracks 1-3 are used for intercity and regional service. Intercity trains to Istanbul, İzmir, Kars, Tatvan and Kurtalan along with regional trains to Polatlı arrive and depart from these tracks. A side platform and an island platform allow access to the tracks.
• Tracks 4-5 are used for freight trains passing through Ankara, along with the occasional equipment move from Marşandiz Yard. Freight trains run mostly at night or late evening with some service mid-day. This is done to minimize interference with passenger rail service.
• Tracks 6-7 are for Başkentray commuter service to Sincan and Kayaş. An island platform services both tracks however access to this platform requires the payment of a fare, using the AnkaraKart.
• Tracks 8-13 are exclusively for high-speed train service. These tracks are also indoors as they sit underneath the Ankara Tren Garı building. Platforms here connect directly into the high-speed rail concourse, however the rest of Ankara station can be accessed via the skybridge.

G	Ground level	Exit/entrance, parking, buses
P Platform level
	Platform 1
	Track 1	← Main line and regional trains →
	Track 2	← Main line and regional trains →
	Platform 2
	Track 3	← Main line and regional trains →
	Track 4	Freight trains
	Track 5	Freight trains
	Track 6	← Başkentray toward Sincan
	Platform 3
	Track 7	Başkentray toward Kayaş →
	Track 8	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 4
	Track 9	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Track 10	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 5
	Track 11	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Track 12	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →
	Platform 6
	Track 13	← Yüksek Hızlı Tren toward Istanbul, Konya or Sivas →