Istanbul-Uzunköprü Regional

The Uzunköprü-Halkalı Regional (Turkish: Uzunköprü-Halkalı Bölgesel Treni) is a regional rail service operated by the Turkish State Railways. The trains run between Uzunköprü in Edirne Province and Halkalı in Istanbul Province, at Thrace, northwestern Turkey.

Istanbul-Uzunköprü Regional
Overview
Service typeRegional rail
StatusOperating
LocaleThrace, Turkey
First serviceMay 1, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-05-01)
Current operator(s)TCDD Taşımacılık
Former operator(s)TCDD
Route
TerminiUzunköprü, Edirne Province
Halkalı, Istanbul Province
Stops12
Distance travelled243.7 km (151.4 mi)
Average journey time3 hours,30 minutes
Service frequency1 roundtrip daily
On-board services
Seating arrangementsCoach seating
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Track owner(s)Turkish State Railways
Route map
Distance
Station
0 km
0 mi
Istanbul
12.6 km
7.8 mi
Bakırköy
27.6 km
17.1 mi
Halkalı
38.2 km
23.7 mi
Ispartakule
61.7 km
38.3 mi
Çatalca
Istanbul
Tekirdağ
114.8 km
71.3 mi
Çerkezköy
153.9 km
95.6 mi
Çorlu
179.8 km
111.7 mi
Muratlı
Tekirdağ
Kırklareli
195.1 km
121.2 mi
Seyitler
199.3 km
123.8 mi
Karabeyli
212.8 km
132.2 mi
Lüleburgaz
229.4 km
142.5 mi
Alpullu
250.8 km
155.8 mi
Pehlivanköy
Kırklareli
Edirne
271.4 km
168.6 mi
Uzunköprü

The train operates daily on one roundtrip. The train number 12704 departs from Halkalı at 8:30, and the train number 12703 leaves Uzunköprü at 15.40 local time. It serves twelve towns between Uzunköprü and Halkalı, among them Alpullu, Lüleburgaz, Çorlu, Çerkezköy and Çatalca. The total average travel time on the 243.7 km (151.4 mi)-long line is three and half hours in one direction.[1][2][3]

The regional train operates on the historic railway line, which was constructed by French during the Ottoman Empire in the late 1800s, and was used by the Ottoman company Chemins de fer Orientaux between Istanbul and Didymoteicho, then Ottoman territory, serving Halkalı, Uzunköprü and Eskiköy. In 2012, the railway line was closed to traffic due to renovation works. On May 1, 2018, the Uzunköprü-Halkalı Regional train [4] service resumed after six years.[1][2][5]

Derailment edit

On 8 July 2018, the train number 12703 bound Halkalı derailed shortly before Çorlu due to damaged railway structure as a result of heavy rainfall. Five of the six railway cars overturned after derailment. 24 passengers were killed and 318 injured at the accident. The train service was suspended for three days during the recovery operations.[6] The train service resumed on 11 July 2018.[3][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Halkalı-Uzunköprü Tren Seferleri 1 Mayıs İtibari İle Başladı". Ray Haber (in Turkish). 2 May 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Halkalı-Uzunköprü tren seferleri başladı". Ulaşım Online (in Turkish). 2 May 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b "TCDD Trakya" (in Turkish). TCDD. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  4. ^ Uzunköprü İstanbul Tren Saatleri (in Turkish)
  5. ^ "6 yıl sonra ilk tren geldi". Yeni Adalet (in Turkish). 3 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Uzunköprü-Halkalı Tren Seferleri Yeniden Başladı". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 20 July 2018.