Hilal railway station

Hilal station formerly Istravoz station is a railway station located in İzmir, Turkey. It is located east of Basmane next to the famous Hilal Junction on the Izmir-Afyon railway. The station was famous for being located next to the only diamond crossing in Turkey. The Oriental Railway Company's Alsancak-Aydın Main Line crossed with the Smyrna Cassaba Railway's Basmane-Afyon Main Line. Due to the layout of the tracks, the station was first named Istravoz railway station in 1866. Istravoz (from Greek σταυρóς) means Cross in Turkish. After the Republic of Turkey was formed in 1923, the station's name was changed to Hilal which means 'crescent', due to the majority of the city's population being Muslim. The Hilal metro station, which opened in 2000, is located adjacent to the railway station. When the electrification of the tracks around İzmir started in 2001, the station was closed.

Hilal
İZBAN commuter rail station
Looking south from the northbound platform. The railroad crossing is visible before the southbound station.
General information
Coordinates38.42675°N 27.15386°E / 38.42675; 27.15386
Platforms1 side platform (before 2001), 2 side platforms (2013)
Tracks2 (before 2001), 3 (2013)
Connections İzmir Metro at Hilal
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusOpen
History
Opened1 July 1866
Closed2001–13
Rebuilt2012–13
Electrified4 August 2013
Previous namesIstravoz (1866–1923)
Services
Preceding station İZBAN Following station
Alsancak
Terminus
Southern Line Kemer
towards Tepeköy
Former services
Preceding station Turkish State Railways Following station
Basmane
Terminus
Çiğli suburban Halkapınar
towards Çiğli
Bornova suburban Halkapınar

Hilal station served the Hilal neighbourhood east of Basmane.

Since early 2011 there had been talk of reopening Hilal as a second transfer point between İZBAN and İzmir Metro.[1] On 4 August 2013, the station reopened serving IZBAN commuter trains. Two new island platforms were built and the station now lies on the Izmir-Eğirdir railway instead of the Izmir-Afyon railway.

A freight train enterring the railway.

References

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