Yüksek Hızlı Tren
The Yüksek Hızlı Tren or YHT (English: high-speed train) is the Turkish State Railways high-speed rail service currently operating on two lines: Ankara to Istanbul via Eskişehir and Ankara to Konya. YHT uses the HT65000 EMUs built by CAF and HT80000 EMUs built by Siemens. YHT is the only high-speed service in Turkey operating at speeds up to 250 km/h (160 mph).
History
Origins
Istanbul and Ankara are Turkey's largest two cities, having a combined population over 16,500,000. Transportation between the two cities is high. The Otoyol 4 motorway is a major highway between the two cities, and the Ankara–Istanbul route is the busiest route for the Turkish Airlines. The route between Istanbul and Ankara by rail has been a single-track line, and trains usually were delayed 30 minutes to 2 hours plus the average 7 hours, 30 minutes travel time. Rail transport in Turkey was already at its lowest point, so in 2003 the State Railways and the Turkish Ministry of Transport made an agreement to build a 533 km (331 mi) line between the two cities. The line would be an electrified double trackline. Construction began in 2004 from Esenkent to Eskişehir. The line was completed on April 23, 2007.