Lake Van Express

The Lake Van Express or Van Lake Express (Turkish: Van Gölü Ekspresi), operated by TCDD Transport is an overnight train consisting of pullman, couchettes, sleeping and dining wagons, which runs twice a week on the Ankara-Tatvan route of over 1,300 km.

Van Gölü Ekspresi
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusOperating
LocaleCentral, Eastern Anatolia
Current operator(s)TCDD Taşımacılık
Former operator(s)Turkish State Railways
WebsiteVan Gölü Ekspresi (in Turkish)
Route
TerminiAnkara
Tatvan
Distance travelled1,352 km (840 mi)
Average journey time25 hr 50 min (to Tatvan)
25 hr 40 min (to Ankara)
Service frequency2 days a week
From Ankara Tuesdays and Sundays
From Tatvan Tuesdays and Thursdays
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed80

Travelling the full route takes about 26 hours.[4]

The train previously ran between Haydarpaşa, Istanbul and Tatvan, but due to the construction of the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed railway, the service was shortened and the starting point of the journey became Ankara.

Services

It runs on Tuesdays and Sundays from Ankara. There is one train service from Tatvan on Tuesdays and Thursdays.[5]

The South Kurtulan Express[6] runs on other days with the train going to Kurtalan instead of Van with a journey time of about 24 hours.[7]

References
  1. Istanbul–Ankara railway
  2. Ankara–Istanbul high-speed railway
  3. Başkentray
  4. "Vangolu Express (Ankara Tatvan train)". Rail Turkey En. 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  5. "Van Gölü Ekspresi". TCDD Taşımacılık. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  6. "Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi".
  7. "Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi (Southern Express) Train, Turkey". Turkey Travel Planner. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
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