The history of rail transport in Turkey began with the start of the placement in 1856 of a 130km (80miles) railway line between İzmir and Aydın. The first finished Ottoman railway line was a 66km (41miles) line between Köstence (today Constanţa, Romania) and Boğazköy (today Cernavodă, Romania) built in 1859–1860.
The state corporation that manages the Turkish railway system, Turkish State Railways, subdivides the history into the Pre-Republic period (Ottoman period), the Republic period (which extends from 1923 to 1950) and the period after 1950. During the first period, railways were built and operated by foreign concerns with permission from the state. In the second, the state took over its own railways and expanded them in support of Turkish financial interests. In the third period, attention turned from rail travel to highways, and the expansion of railways dramatically slowed.
During the period of the Ottoman Empire, the British, French and German entities funded and ran private railways in Turkey having gotten permits to do so from the state.[1] European powers used their technological know how in different zones of influence, which they divided amongst themselves.[2] The Ottomans were interested in the economic, social and military advantages of the railways. The first railways were built by the Brits during the mid 19th century. This was done in order to transport the fig harvest to Izmir. Companies from Germany built the well known Orient Express, which ran from Turkey to Europe. The Germans also built the Turkish part of the line Berlin–Baghdad railway.[3]
By the end of 1913, 42% of the 3700 million pounds of British investment in the Ottoman empire was in the railways. 15% of the 1800 million pounds invested by the French was put into railways. The Germans invested 750 million pounds, 25% of which funded railways. Ottoman interests were oriented around modernizing the empire.[4]
See main article: Ottoman Railway Company. The first railway to be constructed in Turkey was the İzmir (the Turkish name of Smyrne)–Aydın line, the first part of which was opened in 1860. Further construction and extension of the line continued up to 1912, by which time the total length was in excess of 700 km.[5]
See main article: Smyrne Cassaba & Prolongements. The second railway to be opened was the İzmir–Turgutlu railway. As with the İzmir–Aydın line expansion continued for several decades, and by 1912 the total length was well in excess of 500 km.
See main article: Chemins de fer Orientaux. In 1871 the Yenikapı to Florya section of the Sark railway opened, further lines were added in the years 1872 and 1873 to create 288 km of lines. A further extension was added in 1912 of 46 km.
See main article: Anatolian Railway. The first section of the Anatolian railway (Anadolu demiryollari) opened in 1872, and the line saw constant growth through the next three decades.
See main article: Mersin-Tarsus-Adana Railway. The Mersin to Adana opened the section to Yenice in 1882, and was completed, having reached Adana by 1886.
See main article: Baghdad Railway. The Baghdad (modern day Iraq) railway extended into Turkey, with lines reaching Konya and other parts of western Turkey.
First opened in 1912.
During the Turkish War of Independence, the new breakaway government in Ankara held control over sections of railways located in central and southern Anatolia. In 1920, these were brought under the roof of Chemin de Fer d'Anatolie ("Anadolu Şimendiferleri" - distinct from "Ottoman Anatolian Railways") with its center in Ankara and administered by Behiç Erkin, the founding figure of modern Turkey's railway network and a colonel at the time. Erkin pursued his office as director general beyond the war during a crucial period that lasted until 1926, after which he was Turkey's minister for transports for two years.
In 1923, Turkish railways entered into what the Turkish State Railways term the "Republic Period", a "golden age" that lasted until 1950. During this time, the railways that had already been created were repurposed to serve Turkish financial interests, prioritizing industrial growth in such industries as iron, steel and coal. In addition to claiming existing lines, the Turkish government extended lines into the previously underrepresented Central and Eastern areas of Turkey to achieve near balance. Between 1935 and 1945, emphasis was placed on construction of junction lines, to improve industrial connectivity and also strengthen national defense. As a result, distance of travel between various points was significantly shortened.
During this period, the following main routes were constructed:
According to the Turkish State Railways, beginning in 1950 the railways of Turkey were ignored and neglected as focus turned to highways. An article in Euroasia rail said that there was no full signaling in Turkey until 1950.[6] In the early part of the period, the improvement of the roadway system was conceived to support the rail system, but instead of the coordinated building of both road and rail structures intended, railroad constructed slowed dramatically. In the 1980s, the national transportation plan "1983–1993 Transportation Interim Planning" was adopted with a goal in part of decreasing highway transportation share from 72% to 36%, but the plan was abolished in 1986 without implementation. In 2002, only 4% of freight transported in Turkey traveled by rail, and only 2% of passenger travel was conducted by rail. Turkey is building with British loans a high speed railway.[7]
(Notes on investors: O: Ottoman Empire, A: Austria, B: Belgium, F: France, G: Germany, S: Switzerland, UK: United Kingdom, Int'l: International investors; Source: Roth - Dinhobl, p. 188)
| CONSTRUCTED MAIN LINES Constructed branches | Year of concession | length in km | construction period | initial investors | later investors | |
| LINE IN ISOLATION; Köstence (Constanţa today) - Boğazköy (Cernavodă today) | 1856 | 66 | 1859–1860 | UK | UK | |
| İZMİR-AYDIN RAILWAY AND PROLONGEMENTS (Oriental Railway Company) | ||||||
| İzmir-Aydın section | 1856 | 130 | 1856–1867 | UK | UK | |
| Aydın-Sütlaç-Çivril section and Sütlaç-Dinar-Eğirdir section | 1879/1911 | 342 | 1879–1912 | UK | UK | |
| Tire-Ödemiş section | 1882/1911 | 137 | 1883–1911 | UK | UK | |
| LINE IN ISOLATION; Rusçuk (Ruse today) - Varna | 1861 | 224 | 1863–1866 | UK | UK | |
| İzmir-Kasaba (Turgutlu) section | 1863 | 93 | 1863–1866 | UK | F | |
| İzmir-Bornova section | 1863 | 5 | 1866 | UK | F | |
| Kasaba (Turgutlu) - Alaşehir section | 1872 | 76 | 1872–1875 | UK | F | |
| Manisa - Soma connection | 1888 | 92 | 1888–1890 | UK | F | |
| Alaşehir-Afyon (Afyonkarahisar) section | 1884 | 252 | 1894–1896 | F | F | |
| Soma-Bandırma connection | 1910 | 184 | 1910–1912 | F | F | |
| ORIENTAL RAILWAY (also famous for the Orient Express) | ||||||
| Istanbul-Edirne section | 1868/1869 | 318 | 1869–1870 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Eastern Rumelia section | 1868/1869 | 386 | 1872–1888 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Salonica-Mitrovica (Kosovska Mitrovica today) section | 1868/1869 | 363 | 1872–1874 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Edirne - Dedeağaç (Alexandroupoli today) section | 1868/1869 | 149 | 1870–1872 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Bosnia section | 1868/1869 | 102 | 1870–1872 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Babaeski- Kırklareli connection | 1910 | 46 | 1911–1913 | F - B - S - A | G | |
| Üsküp (Skopje today) - Serbia border connection | 1885 | 131 | 1885–1887 | Int'l | Int'l | |
| LINE IN ISOLATION; Mudanya - Bursa (Chemin de Fer Moudania Brousse) | 1881 | 41 | 1872–1892 | O - F - B | O - F - B | |
| LINE IN ISOLATION (later connected to Baghdad Railway); Mersin-Tarsus-Adana Railway | 1883 | 68 | 1885–1886 | UK | F | |
| ANATOLIAN RAILROAD | ||||||
| Haydarpaşa-İzmit section (later incorporated to Baghdad Railway) | 1871 | 93 | 1871–1873 | O | G | |
| İzmit-Eskişehir-Ankara section (İzmit-Eskişehir section later incorporated to Baghdad Railway) | 1888 | 486 | 1888–1890 | G | G | |
| Eskişehir-Konya connection (later incorporated to Baghdad Railway) | 1893 | 445 | 1893–1896 | G | G | |
| Arifiye-Adapazarı connection | 1898 | 9 | 1898–1899 | G | G | |
| DEDEAĞAÇ-MANASTIR LINE | ||||||
| Salonica-Monastir (Bitola today) | 1890 | 219 | 1891–1894 | G | G | |
| Dedeağaç-Salonica | 1892 | 508 | 1892–1896 | F | F | |
| BAGHDAD RAILWAY | ||||||
| Konya-Karapınar-Ulukışla section | 1898 | 291 | 1904–1912 | G | G | |
| Toprakkale-İskenderun section | 1898 | 59 | 1904–1912 | G | G | |
| Islahiye-Resulayn section | 1898 | 453 | 1911–1914 | G | G | |
| Baghdad-Samarra section | 1898 | 119 | 1912–1914 | G | G |
The Germans were notably involved in the railways connecting Instanbul and Baghdad, the Anatolian railway as well as a private German initiatives in the Balkan holdings of the empire.[4]
The Brits wanted to shorten journeys to British held India, rail transport through the Ottoman Empire which sits between Europe and Iran. The Isknenderiye-Kahire was built for this purpose.[5]