Turkish High-Speed Train Journey [business class] from Istanbul to Ankara

[@PT197429]

The knobs you pointed out are for a table when they change the seats so you sit with 2 in front of each other. The seat in front of you turns to you and a table gets placed between it just like the other side you have a table of 4 then. Regards Peter

[@BigALuk33]

Love turkey ❤ been all over, but never did a train.... looks awesome

[@-Shadow__Rider-]

Unfortunately the historic main station which served the high speed line burnt down in 2011 and took serious damage so they had to open a new station (while the historical Haydarpaşa station was being repaired/rebuilt) which is called Söğütlüçeşme. The historic “Haydarpaşa” train station will reopen in 2025 with some of the high speed lines being transferred to it though the majority will stay with the Söğütlüçeşme station. Hopefully I was able to convey why the station didnt seem like a proper intercity station…

[@mcbacalhau899]

Did they announce an opening date?

[@halilt4408]

@@mcbacalhau899In 2 years with all facilities

[@Gurobabatvonline]

While repairing Haydarpaşa, they came across the ancient city at the departure point of the trains

[@steve-marsh]

Pretty decent value! Always enjoy your train videos :)

[@prothello]

I think you're both being followed around by construction workers wherever you go 😅

[@Glazier-nm4gn]

The interior of the old Sirkeci station is just lovely ... Just great memories of arriving there after a mega (Drunken) journey from Athens when , in the good old days you could get a train over the border... Miss the old Istanbul in the early eighties and even nineties before it got touristy... Everything was so cheap ... Fresh sliced doner on street corners in amazing bread for nothing .. Amazing chargrilled sardines on the old (not poshed up) Galatar bridge with salad and fries .. Hiking up and down the the river and just getting of wherever to take a look around ... and in one of those small places my wife got an amazing haircut / styling with a guy using only razor blades ... Looked amazing.... The Turkish bath after the train journey just cost about three quid , where I swore at the masseuse who put me in a half nelson and threw me around like a rag doll but I walked out feeling like I was walking on air.. Mate ... I wish I had a time machine to go back to the old Istanbul just for the experience ...

[@redfunkyheart6767]

I've lived in Ankara for 30 years I'm from Yorkshire actually our buses trains and dolmus are very reliable I enjoyed your vlog thank you

[@sunshine8556]

Amazing you stood out with us for 30 years, you must practically be a turk by now.

[@engintozak1767]

York şair şahin...

[@wg611]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="630">10:30</a> The water runs through a paddle at the bottom😊

[@gazzythomas]

I like the Turkish approach to infrastructure. At least they get something going, in the UK we'd have to wait another 20 years

[@rogink]

Yes I'm not sure how many of our trains get to 250km/h.

[@jackjoyce1744]

@@rogink2 of our trains do. It’s all on the channel tunnel/HS1. It’s the Eurostar and southeast high speed. Eurostar operates up to 300km and southeastern operates at 225kmh. It can operate at 300kmh but it’s limited due to signalling. HS1 uses the European signalling system which is incompatible to the British system.

[@steviesteveo1]

They're so far ahead. They've had high speed trains long enough that travel youtube says they're looking old while we're still fighting over the design of the ones we haven't built

[@samdeedubya]

Turkey is a huge infrastructure sector player in Africa, Middle East, Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. In many parts of Africa, Turkish companies are second only to Chinese corporations.

[@jamesmcdonnell5617]

In the States, a sum total of 'None' . . . 'Zero' . . .. 'Nada' . . . 'Zip' . . . Trains in the Amtrak domain get to HSR standard!!

[@loccusloccus5315]

Great video! A few remarks: 1. The old, above ground, Sirkeci main train station was only used for trains departing and arriving on the European side of Turkey (Edirne and Uzunköprü), and for international trains to Bulgaria (daily sleeper train to Sofia) and Greece (cancelled), as well as the Orient Express. The station has recently reopened and is awaiting these connections again. In 2024, only the Venice Simplon Orient Express made it to Sirkeci. All other European bound trains are currently terminating at Halkali station, in a far Western suburb of Istanbul. 2. Söğütlüçeşme railway station was never intended to be the terminus for high-speed trains. They wanted to turn Yenikapi into a multi modal transit hub for YHT's, metro and commuter trains. Due to the archeological findings during construction, they had to scale down this station and reduced it to 2 tracks that is housing the Marmaray commuter line and offers transfers to the M1 and M2 metro lines. 3. The actual main train station for Asian bound trains is Haydarpaşa, that is still undergoing major renovations. This train station also suffered from delays and a reduced number of tracks due to archeological findings during re-construction/remodelling. Because of that, they started extending Söğütlüçeşme to offer more capacity (1 more viaduct is currently under constructions), as well as adding more buildings for waiting areas, restaurants and other amenities. Thus, the huge construction zone and bad experience.

[@DaveMansbridge]

Thanks for the explanation . Lets hope the improvements arrive soon

[@PeteG143]

So funny, I’m actually watching this today in Sirkeci - been here a couple days now. Great review, maybe I’ll try this journey next time I’m here. Thank you.

[@erkankarabulut1888]

Great video! I hope you will have better experiences using those trains in the future. Regarding the speed of the train, as far as I know, some parts of the railway infrastructure are still under construction. So, in those parts, the train uses the old infrastructure which doesn't allow it to go full speed. But it will be better once the construction is finished hopefully.

[@KeefsCattys]

Really enjoyed Scott. Hope you continue your High-Speed journey to 100K subs and infinity. Safe travels

[@cengizgizmen3040]

Thank you for the Video , I love Türkiye

[@mossaddk]

happy new year Scott and thank you for that short video from Turkey.

[@thndrkeepevolving5266]

As you've already noticed, that entrance of the Sirkeci station is one of the two elevators going down to the platform. The normal entrances are located at; 1: Inside the old Sirkeci railway station and 2: By the governorship.

[@hatehaters6563]

Turkey is doing well.

[@halfpakichick]

Yup!! Unlike half of ‘EU’ 😂😂 Bless bless Turkey!!!

[@Graeme.raider.Walsh.29]

Great vid Scott. Love seeing the Turkish country side.

[@chrissslike-n1h]

The only thing I HATE when traveling is the stress of not knowing where you are going! Great video!

[@Leoqal]

Nice video! I’m a new viewer from Edinburgh and recently visited Istanbul earlier this year with some uni friends and I remember some of stations/views from the window you showed!

[@ajayjackson7727]

Great video 👍you always make really interesting videos, them silver thing on the wall are pressure retaining valves used to limit the release of air pressure from the brake cylinder on a train after the automatic brake is released.

[@JH-me]

Scott this video really cheered me up,thanks..

[@ZRHTrainspotter]

Türkiye çok seviyorum ❤ 🇹🇷

[@janetmumcu3547]

The trains used to be very slow, I traveled a couple of times Istanbul to Kayseri by train because it was cheaper than the bus. We left Istanbul early evening and arrived in Ankara to my memory about 6/7 in the morning. Bus at that time was definitely a more desirable way to travel. Finding your videos in Turkey fascinating seeing how things have changed.

[@joanne26]

I worked for a hydraulic cartridge vale manufacturer and one of my customers was called HIDROMEK HQ based in ANKARA and they had place in ISMIR Great people They took you round some great places to eat. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@MİLYARDA1]

Hidromek diggers

[@thisistheway34]

Happy new year looking forward to new videos 🎉

[@Zivotubritaniji-w1j]

Scott you are a legend ❤ . Love your travel videos

[@mecakirme]

As a I Turkish never used this high speed train, I wish I can travel to Ankara in the future. Nice vlog ❤

[@alastairross9628]

Good one. Happy New Year.🎉

[@mozartbabo6146]

Thanks for visiting us sir, i hope you can enjoy your time here

[@briansnowdon2750]

More train videos please Scott! Love them! Excellent vlog as always!!! Keep up the good work and always stay at cruising altitude 😂

[@jacoct35]

Great train journey, seems similar to the Deutsche Bahn ICE 3 Neo. Happy new year Scot

[@mikeburgess8801]

That SoGoodLetsChaseMe station looked like a nightmare! Great video!

[@Akeseli06]

Kazlıçeşme tr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazl%C4%B1%C3%A7e%C5%9Fme_Tren_%C4%B0stasyonu

[@Martycycleman]

Cheers Scott and a Happy New Year 😊

[@tragicgarlic9019]

love this channel , it's brilliant

[@Glenn1967ful]

Another good video andf Scott has the good sense to be out of the North as the weather is going to be terrible for the next few days.

[@MartinCook-kg1vn]

It’s as if Steve Marsh’s construction team are following you around now.

[@ChrisPipinghot]

Interesting video Scott, as you say was a bargain train journey but I would have expected a little bit better even in business class seating. Anyway, great video as always, looking forward to the next one.

[@dennisb9638]

The silver thing next to the seat looks like one of those hotel laundry lines 😀

[@alexlangford6291]

Looks like a Siemens Velaro high speed train, same type used on Eurostar services.

[@borjaperez5873]

It's made by CAF in Beasain (Bask Country).

[@thomasalissavakis5181]

I wish you a happy new year nice video

[@thomasedwards5700]

Guessing the round things are for table fixings presumable the seat in front can be removed or turned around and table fitted.

[@anitapresnell6403]

Thanks for the video Scott. ❤

[@DaveMansbridge]

Brilliant value for money - Ankara is a lovely city .. Kars next ?

[@dennismatthews6660]

Better ride than some! Thank you.

[@faqirm6317]

Interesting train journey, magic word is YHT.

[@fatihegilmez]

For a more comfortable journey, I'd suggest choosing a seat in the middle of the coach, facing the same direction as the train.

[@tunaysabriyuksel2303]

Greetings sir, from Istanbul.

[@stefanneugebauer31]

This ist a German Siemens Velaro. 🤣

[@davidballingall6383]

Spent a month in Ankara in 2006 on a college placement where the station was non existent , looks like it’s come a long way . Looking forward to an Ankara video .

[@calebmumby5803]

really good value for Money scott a great video

[@williamgaffney]

Another great video, are you away over Christmas and New Year? Great to meet you again a few days ago, in Paisley, with my son this time, he put me on to your channel, safe travels mate, hope you’re well and looking forward to a great 2025 ❤️✌🏻

[@janetmackinnon3411]

I remember Sirkeci in the 70s. It has changed...

[@rayshowsay1749]

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="630">10:30</a>, was wondering what was the language on the 3rd line of the sign above the push-button. Can't be English as that's the 2nd line, nor Turkish nor French.

[@loccusloccus5315]

It's German. This is a Velaro (ICE3) train that was manufactured by Siemens in Krefeld, Germany.

[@paulgibsonphotography]

Great Video scott

[@jamescrawford9883]

Nice one Scott!

[@lawrenceseguin1865]

810 lira for a 4-hour train journey in business class sounds like a good deal considering I paid one-third that (245 lira) for a cappuccino at Istanbul airport

[@maydowling2708]

Istanbul Airport has insane prices.Around 17 Euro for a beer.

[@Tripreporternet]

Hoi, Scott, pretty interesting. Look´s like they don´t expect to many non-locals here. Well done. Been to both the Cities by plane. There are some stories about the early times around this service, nothing for the public!. Greetings, Markus

[@musakarakaya2483]

Biletleri bir hafta önceden almak zorundasın tükeniyor.

[@beverlyzimmermann5868]

Happy Sunday morning Scott,🖐🇺🇸

[@richardpeters4086]

It just shows how much we are ripped-off in The UK. That same distance, would be over £100.

[@Namazi_Traveller]

i thought the introduction location was glasgow high court haha

[@Somali1971]

You remind me of the times when you traveled by bus from London to Bulgaria and always ended up at construction sites.😂

[@AymanTravelTransport]

Insane how much nicer Ankara station is compared to Istanbul; hopefully the latter will improve eventually.

[@Letsgobyland]

we took this also, really good journey and good price!

[@huseyincembaykan1289]

Sirkeci station is beatiful

[@TheLifeOfSteve24]

About those things on the side of the train. I think you are right, I took a screenshot, did a reverse search image and Google told me "That appears to be a lock for securing belongings in a luggage rack or compartment on a train."

[@malacca1951]

You sure DO get about a bit! Any exotic plans yet for 2025? (Hope so!)

[@MingitavElçibey]

It is not Sogutlucesmay. It is Söğütlüçeşme. It just requires a thousand times try to get it right.

[@bartonone2005]

Hello, Scott!! You are brave to navigate the train system without a firm grasp on the language. Chuck in Northern New England

[@gsw007]

Where do you put all your stuff when you go to the loo ??

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

I keep no valuables in my bag so leave it on my seat.

[@timalcock2653]

Long time watcher, first time commenter Scott. Your videos are fantastic. Just want to say thank you for all your effort. I for one appreciate your hard work, and love when a 'Planes Trains Everything' notification drops in. Wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[@alisterhoult4795]

Season's Greetings, Scott. I enjoyed watching your KZbin video, and I wish you a Happy New Year! Alister Ian Hoult, Carrying Place, Ontario, Canada.

[@steviee.7469]

In with the first 'like' lol. Cheers

[@noahcount7132]

Scott, would you consider pulling on your seven league boots and undertaking a journey from your hometown of Paisley, Scotland, to Paisley, Oregon, USA? At the very least, there would be no problematic language barrier to cope with.

[@ihonestlydontknow9968]

That train station looks very bad because it wasn’t meant to work as an inter-city train station. Haydarpaşa station, the historical railway station on the Asian side has burned down many years ago and has been going through restoration.

[@joeriuffink5033]

Same siemens ice trains in Germany, seats are better in 1 class (business) and they do 300 kph

[@Sibeliuseeskinesmith]

What domestic issues does Turkey have?

[@ianlove1215]

Something for the future, admittedly not cheap, Emirates are advertising new business class seats on their A350 from Edinburgh to Dubai

[@EdLaing-x7n]

How or where did you purchase your ticket? Nice to see with your increasing income that you now travel in business class.

[@musakarakaya2483]

İnternet üzerinden alabilirsin.

[@GodAtum]

to be fare, london bridge was like that during the upgrade works

[@andybaker2456]

I used to commute daily through London Bridge before the upgrade. But then I changed jobs, and had no need to go there again until after the upgrade had finished. I still find it hard to believe that it's the same station I used to pass through twice a day!

[@margaretpickbourn2647]

Maybe those silver things are to put the straps f your bag in. So it doesn’t slide around ???

[@ashwilliams999]

I love countries that have ‘high speed’ lines but don’t really take advantage of it (for whatever reason). If I heard you correctly - 217 miles in a little over 4.25 hours - an average speed of 52 mph or so….

[@bruhus_momentum]

Mostly because there is a lot of stops for a short distance and trains have to slow down to stop at them so they pull down average speed a lot

[@ashwilliams999]

@ I guessed that much. The point is, that’s not the way you operate a high speed service . You make them limited stop services and use others as all-stop feeder services

[@musakarakaya2483]

Ankara-İstanbul 450 km.

[@acontentthief4999]

The problem is, a short section after the station “arifiye” is non high speed because it passes thru mountainous terrain, the tunnel bypassing these mountains is nearly finished tho wich will decrease the travel time by a considerable amount

[@GMMilambar]

Other countries: "We must subsidize rail services so our people can move around without having to take out a second mortgage!" Great Britain: "Rail services must make a megaprofit for our shareholders. UP THE PRICES!!"

[@primemutton]

Yes Britain can’t even build 350 km of high speed line when padding the cost out over 30 years

[@looseycanon]

Wait a minute, I thought, that Bosporus is a gap in Turkish train system! Am I wrong?

[@Akeseli06]

Orda tünel var tr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaray_T%C3%BCneli

[@looseycanon]

@@Akeseli06 Ah, so that's why Sirkeci and Hyadarpasa don't get service at the moment... Thanks.

[@musakarakaya2483]

Marmaray boğazın altından geçerek avrupa-asya arası çalışıyor.

[@omnimodofacturus]

This train looks a lot like the German ice 4 trains - so considering that they are the same model, the top speed is 250

[@tincanboat]

those knobs on the wall look like you could hang bags on them.

[@chelseaboyuk75]

Happy new year pal

[@kayedal-haddad]

How much was an Economy vs. a Business class ticket from Istanbul to Ankara via High Speed Rail vs. Standard rail?

[@huseyincembaykan1289]

Harika

[@michaelw2816]

Built by China? Or was that just the tracks?

[@ludwig327]

The saga continues

[@ADAMEDWARDS17]

We've also been watching the BBC series where Prof Alice Roberts goes the otherway looking at Ottoman history. I'm assuming your paths didn't cross! The train looks very much to be a Siemens ICE 3 train as use in Germany, Spain and by Eurostar in the UK.

[@joannharrington2279]

So what was that round metal object? You never asked someone? It's going to bother me now wondering what was it (it's function)? Glad you arrived safe and stay aware.

[@phoenixUPC]

someone here already mentioned that those are the anchor points to put tables where you have two sets of seats facing each other and a table in the middle shared by all seats. I hope it helps satiate your curiosity ))

[@joannharrington2279]

@phoenixUPC thank you .

[@michaelfrancis8692]

I hope you take a coach in Turkey like Varan, Ulisoy Kamil Koc they are second to none.

[@semapo97]

Unfortunately, there is no station in Turkey that can be said to be like the central stations in Europe. I think this is our biggest defect.

[@Akeseli06]

İstanbul 20 milyon . İki tane havalanı var. 100 km uzunluk. Avruoadaki şehirler en fazla 5 milyon. İstanbula nereye merkez istasyonu yapacan. Bu saçma olur. Onun için tren yavaş gidip yolcu topluyor.

[@semapo97]

@Akeseli06 nüfusla bir alakası yok bu işin. Eskiden vardı haydarpaşa gibi bir merkez istasyon, isteseler yaparlar. İlla gerekli mi tabii tartışılır ama şehri yansıtıcak bir merkez istasyon olması iyi olurdu.

[@michiganwannarbor3255]

That price is cheaper than some of the sights in Istanbul

[@samdeedubya]

So'utlu-cheshmé. That's quite easy to pronounce. söğüt = willow. söğütlü = willowy. çeşme (cheshmé) = fountain. Willowy-fountain.

[@1954alister]

Really enjoy your rail travels. Now reading your book and am totally overwhelmed with the amount of preparation that you made for that journey. I did a rail marathon around Europe and I know the amount of work that I had to do. All the cities up to and including Moscow I have visited at one point so it was great to get someone else's take on them. I stay near Glasgow and when I recently travelled to London and compared the price you paid for this trip was great value.

[@graham2954]

looks like Stuttgart hbf

[@soundslight7754]

Did I get this right? It takes over 4 hours to cover 250km and this is the high speed service!!

[@musakarakaya2483]

450 km

[@aliyalcinar3218]

I understand that it should be 100 Dollars, quality, cleanliness will be at a higher level but., people in Turkey can give this money POOR BUT we wish you success from Zonguldak