Why Turkey's high-speed train surprised me! - TCDD VIP Class Review

Hello, and welcome back to another train trip review!
Today I'm trying out the Turkish high-speed service, the TCDD Yüksek Hızlı Tren (YHT) on a ride between the biggest city (İstanbul) to the capital city (Ankara).
This journey takes place on-board the new TCDD HT80000, part of the fantastic Siemens Velaro family of high-speed trains. These trains are a little different however, featuring an incredible VİP Class, which I think is probably the most luxurious and exclusive experience available on any high-speed train. You won't believe how cheap it was either!
Enjoy the video!
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Journey Details:
Origin: İstanbul Söğütlüçeşme
Destination: Ankara YHT
Company: TCDD Taşımacılık (Turkish State Railway Transport)
Train: TCDD HT80000 'Siemens Velaro'
Accommodation: VİP Salonu Private Suite (1st+)
Distance: 332 miles / 534 kilometres
Price: ₺580 / £31.30 / €37.70 / $42.90
Time: 4h54m + 13L
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[@alexchaudhri2405]

Turkey is just a beautiful country.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It is. And there's so much more that I didn't see...

[@erenyalcin9392]

yea right 🤣ask me

[@cringeylol4078]

@@erenyalcin9392I will🇹🇷🇹🇷

[@Rs6AvantEnjoyer]

@@aesa12010 idk

[@templierchevalier303]

Great people🇹🇷🤘

[@Estenberg]

I traveled through Turkey for many weeks per visit twice in the 1980s and once in the 1990s. So unfortunately the only rail travel I did was one train from Athens and one train from Sophia, both terminating in European Istanbul. My first voyage into the country was by bus, which 35 years ago was a far superior method of travel in Turkey. There were literally dozens of private companies all competing for the major routes (so added luxury, friendly service, and little perks were the keys to any company's success: like uniformed attendants at your service 24 hours a day, offering complimentary tea and water brought to your seat, plus refreshing icy cold lemon scented hand & face wash (like citrusy aftershave) offered every hour or so. They also brought us crispy snacks like cookies, dried fruit with almonds & pistachio nuts, or salty chips and sweet locum. The busses were also kept fresh and spotless, especially the toilet area, which never once smelled or splashed. Turkish orchestral music was often played gently like the soundtrack to the movies of our view out the window. And on some coach-lines, popular Turkish music-videos played over the closed circuit monitors throughout the motorcoach. The views were spectacular and we stopped fairly frequently for a good leg stretch and some local food (like olives, bread, eggplant dip, Turkish Feta, cherries, and roasted lamb or mutton head, or sometimes doner kabobs with Bulgar pilau and broad-beans in stewed tomatoes & red and green peppers topped with a couple of soft-boiled eggs (my favorite) and finished with a rose-water walnut and phyllo-dough pastry. The bigger the rest-stop the larger the restaurant, from full service sit-down places to steam-table cafeterias to stands to carts or grills cooking up meat on a stick, and finally to people carrying boxes full of whatever bag of lunch-food they just made at home so we could eat on the bus). It was a real slice of Turkish life traveling this way. I loved the luxury busses in Turkey. In contrast the trains were old and rundown and late. And we were hassled at the border-crossing with Greece every time. But I expect things have changed significantly in Turkey since the 1980s. Back then even the airport felt a little dumpy. But not anymore I'm sure.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

That actually sounds really cool! Thanks for sharing your anecdote. I wonder if they live up to the trains nowadays...

[@oguzb.7033]

Turkish bus system is still very good, everything the same, now some companies even serve ice cream, too. The buses are modern and very confertable now.

[@grantnw]

Thank you for bringing back some great memories :-)

[@4thesakeofitname]

Wow you know my country better than I do ! Those super-luxury buses were probably of Royal Class, Neoplan, or Starliner series from Ulusoy, which were in their zenith during the mid 90's... Things have changed a little bit. Trains are now a better option but only on a very limited number of tracks (Ankara-Eskişehir-İstanbul, Ankara-Konya) all remaning tracks still driven by the old system, with the exception that there's now a touristic "East-Express" spannig from west of Turkey to Kars (North-East) destination during winter time with an old fashioned train for a totally nostalgic time-travel experience... The bus system "looks-like" the same but only on the surface. Neither buses nor the attendants are similar anymore. Apart from some improvements such as "internet" and "smart phone" entertainment, those "luxury" services have all together been abondoned with only their more "economic" counterparts available now. (the reason for the dismiss of luxury bus services was the wide spread utilisation of the economic airplane transport during after 2000s, which convinced traverles to use airplanes instead of buses (even if it's a luxury one!) hence the demand for the luxury bus tickets gone extinct). I still think that a bus travel on the "ground" offers a much more exciting experience than the one on a plane for a "touristic" travel option... Yet there's neither anyone of those super luxury buses, nor those attractive bus stop destinations of 80's and 90's... Hope things go better again...

[@andreipobega3010]

@@SuperalbsTravels The Best

[@davemichael3645]

great work. Turkiye is really very beautiful country.

[@qefewfwdcwdc]

no its not, its a nationalist populist shthole that is ruining itself following a islamist economy theory made up by erdogan

[@davemichael3645]

@@qefewfwdcwdc shut the f.. up. of course u will not like him coz first time in Turkish history someone made a great job and made Turkiye such a powerful country. haters like you can only eat Mr Erdogan ass. and if you hate islam then go and wash ur tiny dirty brain.

[@KanadaTurk]

Beautiful country but ruled by dictator who has been stealing money from the poor.

[@davemichael3645]

@@KanadaTurk u r ignorant. u don't even know the meaning of dictator. Turkiye has democracy where people chose their own lider and he is a great one so far. I know this coz he gives his haters hearth attack :)))) which proves that he is doing so right

[@herhangi203biri]

Thank you.

[@c.s.4273]

Turkey and Turks are wonderful! Very kind and helpful people, very welcoming!

[@Easylearn20-l1u]

Me and my mate booked a round-trip using this train in 2018. It was comfy, and smooth trip. Turkey is developing a lot compare to 20 years ago.

[@ozgurozklc0335]

Eski Türkiye geride kaldı

[@andreipobega3010]

@@ozgurozklc0335 🚂🚃🚃

[@oghuzkhan5117]

thanks to Erdogan. the left in turkiye are ideological zombies. they have done nothing to this country, only trying to be like europe in LGBT

[@seyfo.03]

Tell that to 50% of the people of Turkey who are saying to Erdogan: What have you done in 20 years? Nothing! That say haha

[@sentbycyberliferk800]

@@seyfo.03 It seems that what they have to give is over and now they are starting to take.

[@tupapichulo63]

Bravo. Great video. Admirable pronunciation of Turkish place names which isn't the norm with many bloggers.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you very much, glad that you appreciate the effort with foreign terms and place names. :)

[@ferhatkpt.6128]

Yes indeed, surprisingly though 😂😂

[@MuhammedGemci]

@@SuperalbsTravels you pretty much nailed the pronunciations, especially names like Söğütlüçeşme which is pretty hard for most western folks.

[@Jazzgin]

Your pronunciation of Turkish place names and other words are spectacular. Thanks for the effort, much appreciated.

[@mateiungurean3217]

I use this Train once a week to go from Ankara to Istanbul, also sometimes I catch the older model of the YHT, it s really Comfy and fast and also really cheap in comparison with european trains

[@bieneulm1982]

That train is a european model. Called Siemens Velaro TR. Basically it is a German ICE 3 (BR407).

[@nervun8097]

@@bieneulm1982 it looks more like a ICE 4. Idk I could be wrong

[@bieneulm1982]

@@nervun8097 ICE4 has a completely different outer shape.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It's definitely a 3. :)

[@mrnobodymr8002]

Older ones are built by caf also used in spain

[@timurtopal]

There is a lot of construction going on on this route right now to cut the travel time an hour but as you've mentioned the main problem is trains going very slowly until they get out of Istanbul. This is the most used route in Turkey as it links the 2 biggest cities of our country and hopefully an hour will make a big difference on a lot of people's lives.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Yup, hopefully, as the service is great other than the slow sections.

[@MuhammedGemci]

The Bilecik-İzmit section gained a ~30 min speed boost between 2021 and 2022, reflected by the time spent slithering along Sakarya River on old mainline being heavily reduced. With all the construction finished i believe the section will gain an additional ~30 mins of speed. Once that's finished, there's not much gaining time elsewhere, the only possibility is the direct corridor between Gebze and Halkalı through Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü and two currently active airports. Though, this corridor won't help at all for people going into southern city center, obviously. Still though, YHT takes less than half the time that intercity coaches take, while being cheaper (economy) or roughly matching (business) prices.

[@reviewer.m]

We are proud of our railways. Congratulations to all our professionals working to make this service quality possible.

[@yavuzy7798]

didn't know opposition supporters were proud of anything Erdogan made. they really believe he's a spy

[@dogukansadiakcakaya5640]

You mentioned almost everything in detail however you skipped to mention the Ankara train station, which is a very elegant and big one comparing other stations on route. I thinks it differs from the major European trail stations with its quite vast entertainment and food opportunities. I usually go there way before my train departure to hangout with my friends in the cafes just outside the station, the station provides a good service for those who want to take it.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

There's a reason for this! :) I've got a few videos coming later on that start from Ankara YHT and Ankara mainline. I will show off the station in these. 😎

[@dogukansadiakcakaya5640]

@@SuperalbsTravels That's wonderful then!

[@Gpon]

Türkçeyimi unuttun bu ne :D

[@andreipobega3010]

🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@andreipobega3010]

@@SuperalbsTravels 🚂🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃

[@glenngogoll6166]

I'd like to compliment you on your pronunciations on all your non English language journeys. Ive watched quite a lot now & I have really enjoyed them. I've been really impressed by your efforts to pronounce names in all languages. Scandinavian, Turkish & Eastern European languages can provide a challenge for the native English speaker. I occasionally watch a train KZbinr here in Victoria, Australia, who makes me.cringe with his struggles pronouncing Victorian country town names. Well done that man.

[@danielrauf4094]

Turkiye and specially Istanbul is the most beautiful iconic and historic city of Europe ❤️🇹🇷

[@SuperalbsTravels]

So beautiful! 😍

[@metalgearsolidsnake6978]

nah only the great food:)))

[@qefewfwdcwdc]

no its not, its a nationalist populist shthole that is ruining itself following a islamist economy theory made up by erdogan

[@VietnamliSincap]

@@metalgearsolidsnake6978 you are probably from pakistan or something and you are being jelous because you dont have these good features?

[@metalgearsolidsnake6978]

@@VietnamliSincap i am from scandinavia, and many "TURKS" lives he for a reason.. so it is the other way around...

[@y.emrekeles3345]

Thank you very much for this lovely review. I'm Turkish, however, I wasn't aware that the price is so cheap. I'm not sure if you tried the Eastern Express from Ankara to Kars. That line offers so many majestic views during the travel, especially in winter. It's definitely once in a lifetime experience.

[@wt3833]

your diligence in researching the pronunciation of place names sets you apart, and I thank you.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks! I'm glad you appreciate it. :)

[@michaelhall8586]

This video was a Turkish delight

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Hahaha, very good, thank you! 😎

[@aquawater5069]

Good one

[@omarhamid3638]

Lovely review!! Great to see Turkey invest and provide such smooth high speed rail services. Thanks for your work 👍

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video. :)

[@omarhamid3638]

@@SuperalbsTravels You’re most welcome. I enjoyed it for sure 😊👏

[@rathindrachattopadhyay2538]

There is 20 percent discount who cross 65 years old in this train in economy class.

[@hattin1187]

British Rail seems antique when I travelled on this fast train in Turkey few times and even then rip off in the name of privatisation

[@qjtvaddict]

English can’t build

[@eckartspindler4353]

Great review! I'm surprised how much progress the TCDD have made since I travelled in Turkey by train in 2009. In 2009, I managed to travel by train the entirely route from Germany to Kayseri on an epic 3 days trip. The single track lines seemed to be unchanged since the Germans built them in beginning of 20th century. Delays of 2 and more hours were normally. Buses were normally much faster, more frequent and more reliable than trains. The worst thing on the train trip from Europe to Turkey is the Bulgarian - Turkish border at Kapikule. You'll need to get out of the train after midnight for waiting up to 2 hours for the Turkish customs check. I think, the border issue deters the most customers from taking the train from Bulgaria to Turkey. Furthermore, Sirceci and Haydarpasa stations in Instanbul were nice stations which are now both out of service. For such a big city like Istanbul, the current situation of public transport is not acceptable. Hopefully, in near future, they will resume service on both stations. Despite the terrible state of the Turkish railway tracks, the carriages were quite comfortably. In most of the long distance services, there was a restaurant car with good food. I travelled with the Mavi train Ankara - Izmir. This train provided sleeping cars with refridgerators in the compartments and showers on the aisle. The Turkish railways have much potential becoming the major transportation hub between Europe and Asia. At present, the bottleneck is Istanbul and the railway line from Sofia to Istanbul.

[@mtahirkeskin]

Thanks. This is a great content. I am so glad you enjoyed Turkiye's YHT experience.

[@470danadidas]

Can't get over how the journey was so cheap! Excellent value and a great well narrated video.

[@budapestkeletistationvoices]

Forget England where train rides aren't affordable

[@krishnapillai2595]

I think the cheapness has to do with the tumbling of the local currency in the ongoing economic turmoil of Turkey.

[@travia6688]

@@krishnapillai2595 I wouldn't say so. They increased prices on many things to match the inflation, including bus fares. I think it's just cheap so that it can compete with the plane and buses.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you very much! :)

[@mellie4679]

@@travia6688 i agree its actually 42% cheaper than bus!!:)

[@gpholt1972]

I was amazed at how smooth the ride was. Very nice compartment and unbelievably cheap.

[@emreduygun]

thanks !

[@cagracar4316]

​@@emreduygun inanılmaz ucuz diyor,inanamıyorlar fiyata.Ekonomi o kadar kötü ki rezil bir durumdayız.Bizimle dalga geçiyorlar.

[@emreduygun]

@@cagracar4316 geciyorsa geciyor, onlarin usagi mi olalim? Turkiyede ulasim herzaman ucuz genel olarak yurtdisindan gelenlere

[@cagracar4316]

@@emreduygun TL öyle bir değer kaybetti ki 2 senede yaşam standartlarımız 10 kat düştü.Abartmıyorum.

[@cagracar4316]

@@emreduygun zaten mevcut ekonomi ile onların hizmetçisisin.Türkiye'de ne kadar lüks oteller ne kadar güzel eğlence yerleri var hangi birine gittin? Hepsinde yabancılar tatil yapıyor.

[@alpti1590]

Although I live in Turkey, I have never used YHT. Thanks for video. :)

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Wow, that's a pity, you should try it. Thanks for watching. :)

[@pattnaiksr9055]

It's a fantastic video. Thank you for sharing the journey with us. Would love to see more of your vlogs in future. 👍

[@Andrewjg_89]

Those type of trains are so beautiful, smooth and the seats are some what comfortable. Very nice.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Very comfortable in fact! Thanks. :)

[@RegenTanzer1]

When I lived in Ankara, 1970/71, I took the train from Ankara to Istanbul in an old Wagon, Lits & Cook sleeper car-reminiscent of the 1930s. The train was pulled by a coal-burning locomotive and travel time was ~12 hours. I returned to Ankara in a regular coach class car. How times have changed!

[@loccusloccus5315]

Great video and very well investigated. As mentioned by you, Haydarpasa will become the terminus of this line again, which will provide a much better user experience than Sogutlucesme. Unfortunately, the stretch within the city limits of Istanbul, all the way to Gebze, will remain a rather slow part of this line, as it is a curvy single track, build thru densely populated areas on the Asian side. There are still works underway on different parts of the line, to speed up the overall travel time by 30+ min.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

That sounds good. Haydarpasa looked beautiful. :)

[@hakankucuk3168]

The line you are talking about is the bypass line. It will be even faster when the high-speed train line between Sapanca and Geyve is put into operation in the near future.

[@idontexist1681]

Haydarpaşa won't be the terminal again. There are historic ruins under the station, and the government says that these will be preserved.

[@jirislavicek9954]

Really cool 👍 I remember travelling from Istanbul to Ankara about 20 years ago. It was a single track railway, train was slow, pulled by a diesel loco and arrived with 3 hours delay. A bus was much faster on the same route. It was a nice sightseeing journey through Turkish countryside but not a fast convenient way of transport.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

I bet it was really nice, even if not particularly convenient.

[@samanli-tw3id]

At least the iconic Haydarpaşa station was still active.

[@jirislavicek9954]

@@samanli-tw3id Yes, it was. We took a trip from Denizli to Haydarpaşa on a way back. It was really cool.

[@shamil.khanv2]

Great video! Much love and respect from Turkey!

[@bilenbir2686]

Ağaçlandırmaya, ormanlık alanları kurmaya önem verilmeli. Önce kentler içine ufak orman adacıkları ve kenti boydan boya yarıp geçen yeşil koridor oluşturulmalı ki kent içinde ferah hava, serinlik ve yaşam huzuru hisse oluşsun. Kent dışında bölge ormanı temiz hava isteyenlere, spor ve gezi yapacaklara ortam sunsun ( piknik denen şeyi yasaklamak gerek, pikniklerle insanlar şişmanladı, çocuklar artık obur oldular) Tarla aralarına yeşil koridor yapılarak rüzgarın tahılı kurumasını, toprağın kurumasını engellemek gerek. Dağ ve yamaçlarda parça ormanlar (büyük yangınları önlemek için) dikilmeli Ki ülkemiz kurumasın, çölleşmesin, kalkınma daimi ve sağlam olsun. Ağaçlandırma sanayileşme ile paralel hızlanmalı. Önemi ileride anlaşılacaktır.

[@sadrick1639]

@@bilenbir2686 Ağaçlandırmadan çok ağaç kesmemeye önem verirsek küresel ısınma gibi bir problemimiz olmayacak. Nedenini araştırabilirsin.

[@hadiya2179]

So awesome to see you paid great attention to spelling original name of towns you gone through. Not many vlogger pays attention to it.

[@infiniteturkishflyer]

Great video! I've been so happy such video from you as a turkish! Keep nice work up!

[@infiniteturkishflyer]

Your pronunciation is great by the way!

[@heidirabenau511]

@@infiniteturkishflyer I thought he was from Kazakhstan

[@infiniteturkishflyer]

@@heidirabenau511 I meant I'm turkish lol

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you! :) I am not from Kazakhstan.

[@Sae1962]

Excellent video about YHT trains! I hope others will follow.

[@chiragganguly]

Amazing to such high quality rakes being used in Turkey and the Ankara station platform looked grand

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It's great isn't it!

[@klcarslancetin1542]

@Cici BeBe aynen ya taş devrinde yaşıyormuşuz gibi davranıyorlar

[@Atilla33]

Why does it wonder you so much? Turkey is quite a modern country

[@frk_frk3130]

I enjoyed reporters sound voice, it suits perfectly for on board travel activities. We should have more high speed train destinations worldwide. Turkiye is very interesting because it connects multiple continents for traveling purposes.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you very much! :)

[@theancientsancients1769]

Turkey will have the largest high speed trains network in Europe and the middle East once things are complete . It is developing its own made in Turkey high speed trains too.

[@sezinkzl906]

He hee absolutely😂

[@bilenbir2686]

@@sezinkzl906 ne bu şimdi?

[@EDORAS.]

@@bilenbir2686 yabancılar bile görüyor anlıyor, sadece bu malum ucube zombi kesim anlamıyor.

[@zaboybagoi8636]

@@sezinkzl906 Adam dogru diyor,Erdogan butun demiryolu hattini yeniledi ve yenilerini inşa etmeye başladı. O öldükten sonra bile 2053 yilina kadar onbinlerce km yeni demiryolu yapilacak.Bizdeki saman kafalarin inkar ettigini elin gevurlari bile gorup takdir ediyor ve Turkiyenin eskiye gore cok daha gelistigini fark ediyor

[@TheFalseShepphard]

@@EDORAS. Mal bunlar zaten

[@seaglewaterford]

Lovely video, looking for more of turkish high speed trains especially from outside the train when it passes by in a flurry.. the whooping sound of speed train (at fastest speed is what I am requesting since many countries don't have such trains so this glimpse will be thrilling for so many.. thanks in advance.

[@EpicAdventuresPH]

It's actually more hygienic to use paper towels in toilets/bathrooms than air hand dryers, as the latter just blows contaminated air around. So it's great that TCDD turned it off on its trains.

[@PJWestfield]

Simply incredible value for such luxury and privacy!

[@tahsinseyhan8898]

for Turkish citizen it's very high values. we can't afford very easily in our country... especially in last years, Turkey is for tourists.. not for us..

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It is great value! :)

[@Never-endingwork]

@@tahsinseyhan8898 neyi yuksek . ankara konya .normal bilet 83 tl, bizznesss bilet 126 tl . her fırsatta yoksyulluk edebiyatı yapıp bizi rezil etmeyin ,bu kadarda ezik olmayın ,,,,kendi ezikliğinizi tum millete maal etmeyin .. ..

[@tahsinseyhan8898]

@@Never-endingwork yoksulum. bir çok insan benim gibi yoksul. sen ver bizznesss bilete 126 tl. hayırlı yolculuklar.

[@RePete02]

Takes awhile to get in and out of both cities but once in the country, it's a great ride. Still have my ticket stub.

[@RyanGrissett]

I just booked two window seats in one of the VIP class compartments for my wife and I on one of those trains. Traveling from Ankara to Istanbul to catch flights to Thailand. I think I'm more excited about this train ride than our trip because I've never been on a train before. It looks very comfortable from your video, so I'm happy I picked this instead of flying to Istanbul. I tried to book a couple times in the past, but I was always too late and there were never any seats available on the high-speed trains. If there is availability in the VIP boxes, it is a no brainer considering the price difference to economy or regular business seats.

[@tommylaq]

I do think that the Frecciarossa 1000 in executive class is a better train experience with a full complimentary meal and what I think is a more stylish interior (and exterior), although that is in a totally different price range.

[@Daniel27600]

Don’t forget about Business Premier on the Eurostar

[@halfix828282]

@@Daniel27600 and crazy prices

[@SuperalbsTravels]

True, it's nice, but there's no compartments. Still I'd love to try that!

[@th3o83]

Agree. This train is very good, especially at that prices, but it is far from the most luxurious train in the world.

[@andrewcowling5804]

I think Greek high speed trains offer the same if not slightly better first class and business class comfort and facilities though. But it’s nice too see the rest of Europe catch up a bit. Having said that. Despite the British obsession with running down our network. It’s worth mentioning we have been running high speed trains since 1976

[@thomassmall5241]

I enjoyed the Video. Turkey's high speed TRAINS are really Economical and comfortable with plush seating and technical facilities.

[@bugra202]

Bridge between east and west world. My city, our beautiful love İstanbul💙

[@danielecompagnoni.official]

I believe it is a wonderful experience to travel through such a wonderful and historical land on a high speed train like this, it makes the overall experience much more romantic in my opinion, really looking forward to this travel !

[@adhityanpazhanivelu9688]

This Turkish high speed electric train 🚄 looks very beautiful. I enjoyed its interior of the train. I like the view from the train. This beautiful electric train is considered as one of the fastest train in south east Europe.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Yes, you are right!

[@marcotd7923]

Basically they are German designed trains

[@kinghans6266]

@@marcotd7923 They are completly German trains.

[@servusdedurantem]

such simple yet elegant video very objective and smooth thank you

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you very much!

[@inkhwon]

Wow, the prices are so cheap! I'll definitely also do this journey one day, can't wait! :)

[@fsicakyuz]

Great vid. Awaiting more from Turkey.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you, more to come!

[@prakashd7397]

very nice mountain sea river snowy places beauty rail stations blackseats glassy buildings excellent enjoyment english punchy speaking marvellous great video

[@antiochianius]

I use this train from Konya to Ankara, it was quite comfortable. And as you said tickets is really cheap even in Turkish Lira. But you should tell more things for Ankara... (: Thank you for sharing this experiment with us, greetings and loves from Türkiye

[@steelhd7843]

AKP yaptı kanka oy vermeyi unutma.

[@antiochianius]

@@steelhd7843 Sana ne benim oyumu kime kullanacağımdan, basit olduğunu kanıtladığın için teşekkürler. Şimdi yorumunu sil geri, aptal! Gereksiz yeterince insan var zaten senin gibi boş yapan. Kim olup nereden geldiğimi dahi bilmeden streotypelarınız yüzünden önyargılarınızı yıkamıyorusunuz acizler!

[@ugurkukul6634]

Yht’nin yapamadığını yapmış adam helal olsun. Your video have very good pr, effects, nice talking, nice views and videos. Your video better than our TCDD YHT’s info videos.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thank you!! 😁

[@pedrorubiotejero_aka_prt]

1:55 And don't forget the Renfe Ave S-103 trainstock 13:45 Oh, God, F*cking Yes! 14:25 Less than €10 for a seat & €37 for a VIP Compartment on a national operator's High Speed Train? This is so cheap that everyone visiting Turkey can afford it without any doubt! (I talk about the 2nd Class seats, the VIP Compartments are at a price that Renfe offers for its AVE & Long Distance Services at its highest-advance dates (Like one or two months before the journey) without any offer or discount) 16:29 This is a great video, not just for the price of YHT, also for the great landscape changing from urban landscape to typical snowy, inland landscape

[@tahsinseyhan8898]

for Turkish citizen it's very high values. we can't afford very easily in our country... especially in last years, Turkey is for tourists.. not for us..

[@pedrorubiotejero_aka_prt]

@@tahsinseyhan8898 Yes, Turkey is full of tourists due to its marvelous historical buildings, specially in the city of Istanbul, and for going to watch Capadocia region's landscape from an air balloon at sunrise, I think that's the 2 reasons for visiting Turkey one in a lifetime. P.S: And also people go to Turkey for its cheap hair implants and to watch the highlights of the most international Turkish soap operas, which here in Spain, I can say we have an "Influenza for watching Turkish soap operas" and I can say that Latin-Americans soap operas are a thing of the past or are broadcasted sometimes to fill programming on Spanish TV Channels broadcasting American series and/or European, Latin-American and Turkish soap operas

[@sureshbhatia9408]

@@tahsinseyhan8898 High speed luxury trains are out of reach of vast majority of people around the world and I think it will be the same with the high-speed train being built here in India

[@isilark]

Thanks for the video . I’ll definitely use the train next time I’m in Turkiye

[@magnuswobser8414]

beautiful trains (just like in Germany) but incredible value for the money (unlike Germany unfortuantely). Absolutely impressed by this. Great stuff from Turkey here!

[@yazar8]

I think it is cheap for you Germans. When you account for buying power parity of TL, with minimum wage, which the majority of the population receives, you can buy around 16 tickets.

[@cagracar4316]

​@@yazar8 çok utanç verici değil mi

[@kingkong-bk8ze]

@@yazar8 28

[@TolgaKarlilar]

@@yazar8 It is cheap for anyone, including the Turks this being a government funded social thing.

[@direnius]

If the trend contintues, Turkey will soon take a second spot after China in its highspeed network. The progress of new lines and the quality is simply amazing. And to this think that it's just a newly industrialized, middle-income country.

[@denize9935]

Turkey's president and ministers are AKP members. Local mayors are (mostly) CHP members. That's why there is great competition. For example, the municipality with CHP is building 10 metros in Istanbul. In addition, the AKP's Ministry of Transport is making 7 metros. There are 17 subway constructions at the same time

[@mistalion1]

@@denize9935 "the municipality with CHP is building 10 metros in Istanbul." Everybody knows Those all 10 Metros were started by AKP, Chp is just proceeding them. they dont belong to CHP

[@denize9935]

@@mistalion1 o projeler para yok diye yıllarca yapılmadı. Boş boş bekletildi. CHP yönetimi gelince parayı bulup yapmaya başladı. AKP li belediye başkanı Kadir Topbaş'da istifa ettirildi. Hatırlatayım

[@mustafazekicalik]

​@@mistalion1 Yarım kalmış metrolara kaynak bulup inşaasına yeniden başlatmak başarı değil ama yarım bırakmak başarı öyle mi? 806 bin fark yetmedi değil mi?

[@bilenbir2686]

@@denize9935 nedenlemen ile getirdiğin seviye, seviyeni de gösterdi. Aferim. Bu ne, insan yazdığın dan utanır.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Great video Albs, it's almost like I was there with you 😍

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Soooo immersive, eh? :)

[@belarussamsun9962]

Back in 1987 I took the Steam train to Burdur Turkiye it was pretty unique I would like to see more videos like this

[@tabbylondon2382]

Thanks for sharing the journey. It was nice to see a different way of travelling instead of flying. I’m so surprised at the cost. Hopefully it’s inspired me to give it a try.

[@evrenseltoker526]

I did give you a Like! This is an informative video with lots of scenic views and even as a local person, I couldn't do a better job. Thank you for your time and effort.

[@alperentavsanci2188]

Nice video with all necessary details. YHT route between istanbul and Ankara currently is the best options considering the price, comfort and travel time. Therefore, finding a YHT ticket at the route is not easy even before a week from the travel. Side note: İstanbul and Sabiha Gökçen airports expected to be connected to the Metro network in a year which means travel time will be less than 5 hours by plane but considering the price difference YHT is much more affordable.

[@rednexie]

m10 Pendik SGHL metrosunun ihalesi iptal, m4a ne zaman bitecek bilinmiyor. M4a zaten yhtye bağlanmıyor.

[@andrewpepper8031]

Great video I can't believe how cheap it was to travel in that level of luxury. UK has nothing to compare to it.

[@callummurray9720]

The Eurostar are literally the same trains ….

[@SuperalbsTravels]

But the Eurostar doesn't have compartments with massive leather armchairs. 🤔

[@fatiharslan8719]

Cheap as it is a government company

[@avijeet424]

This train model really suited for turkey perfectly

[@SuperalbsTravels]

I agree, they are great trains!

[@mistalion1]

especially the Turqoise color

[@avijeet424]

@@mistalion1 Yeah. Turquoise color for Turkey.

[@muharremargis199]

the effort you put in, deserves big respect. we appreciate for the helpful information video. ❤

[@suenergy]

Thank you for making and sharing this high speed train trip from Istanbul to Ankara. Very informative. Turkey is well known for food and hospitality. Turkish Airlines is a good example for the passengers. Hopefully This train will follow through the same path.

[@ameerali.ouarda]

Turkish airlines have the most aggressive cabin crew I’ve seen. They literally shout at the customers from my experience. I’ve seen it first hand.

[@paulheydarian1281]

@@ameerali.ouarda 🤔😉😂🤣 This is true. Some of the passengers behave like animals.

[@ameerali.ouarda]

@@paulheydarian1281 The crew behave like animals. I don’t fly TK any more between LHR and IST. I do BA Club Europe. Better experience, more civilised.

[@paulheydarian1281]

@@ameerali.ouarda They probably need better customer training. Turkish Airlines provides flights and connections to cities in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe that many Western Airlines don't bother with. I think the new terminal at Attaturk Int'l Airport is impressive. I like the food and the service on Turkish airlines. They have very good planes with lots of movie options. I also think they have competitive prices.

[@cesarpavon4236]

Thank you very much for this video! my family and i will take this trip as a part of a Turkey tour so i really apreciate all the info.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks for watching, glad I could help. Have a nice trip, and make sure to book as soon as possible (30 days) for the train tickets, as they sell out fast. :)

[@rezaalan3991]

Great trip. Velaro is one of my favourite rolling stock. The other operator who use this are Renfe AVE, and Sapsan Train. Also CRH 3 got influence from Velaro.

[@bieneulm1982]

CRH3A is actually a ICE3 (BR406).

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Hope to try some of those AVE trains soon...

[@mohammedamayri2237]

I know nothing about trains but i loved your elegant naration and i am subscribing.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Wow, thanks! 😂🥰

[@1pasupaty]

Turkey makes very good buses with comfy seats.id love to travel turkey some day

[@sciencefic666]

turkey is very nice place for my holiday visit to Antalya.. lovely memories

[@srdrr_amg45]

Turkey's development is remarkable

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Agreed, their rail network in particular. It slashes journey times!

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Meanwhile in the USA, idiots hate trains and only want to build terrible highways...

[@zjoberg]

Ah-Turkie with pictures of snow! I live 600 km north and here we miss snow

[@youfi524]

I actually recently went on a trip from Eskişehir to Ankara with the YHT, and i have a surprising fact for you. My family's company is related with TCDD and Türasaş which are the government's train related establishments. These YHT units are actually capable of going much more faster but the railways are not capable to hold up with faster speeds so they limit the speed with 250-255km/h. Also another fun fact is, my one of my dads company's jobs was to revise the old CAF Sepia units and i had the experience to see the motor compartments, the wheels etc.

[@youfi524]

and after 2 months, the big revision has came. the railroads are revised and are now capable to hold up the much faster speeds. the new speed is going to be 350km/h

[@rokuomi213]

@@youfi524 amazing info thanks, are there any new info ?

[@kaanerdem2822]

​@@youfi524is that for all YHT lines? So from istanbul to ankara is now faster then 4h?

[@varveyok533]

You worked really good for pronunciations of the stations. Nice job

[@marv2129]

Turkey has certain vibes that get me

[@SuperalbsTravels]

I really liked visiting too. :)

[@sonsuzevren61]

It is not important that it is luxurious, it is important that it is clean and useful. This is the basic logic. Buying the train is not what you expect from a ticket. Thanks for the video.

[@constantinos1516]

Great video, thanks. Yes, it's strange that the train is leaving from a smaller station and not from Haydarpasa, which is the main and historic Termimus on the Anatolian side. 5 hours is too long for his journey, but given that the new Istanbul airport is not in the city centre, it may prove beneficial for the train in the long term, if they improve the Istanbul leg.

[@mehmet.yildiz]

Unfortunately Haydarpaşa is being retired, turning into museum, and maybe integrated with old lines later on. Söğütlüçeşme is near Haydarpaşa and operates as replacement for now. This high speed train supposedly gonna have a separate route extending to the new airport as well. So far, only the bridge in Bosporus (with railways) have been built, rest is still waiting (been a decade since construction started). Until then high speed train uses old railroad up until Bilecik city. That's why it's practically not high speed train for the half of the route.

[@repla2992]

Adding to Mehmet’s comment, there has been some archeological inventions around the Haydarpasha Station. While the renovation, the exploration of these artifacts caused the replanning of the starting point.

[@TR32BrawlStars]

Metro construction continues for Istanbul airport

[@constantinos1516]

@@TR32BrawlStars Do they still have those express buses that run on special lanes over the bridges in Istanbul?

[@ishaqmo7200]

@@constantinos1516 The metrobús? Yes they do

[@Tekukuno]

I've taken this train and it's pretty nice. The VIP cabin is super comfortable but I couldn't see how to book it on the website. I had to upgrade at the station instead.

[@Eurobazz]

Do you speak Turkish because your pronunciation of the station names was very impressive?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

He can pronounce any language exceptionally well, except Spanish and French 😂

[@The0070049]

@@NonstopEurotrip to be honest - I was thinking about some asian Siri or Alexa listening to his first-of-april release ... but it was still great fun ... "ACHTUNG , ACHTUNG !" 🤣

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Nope, I speak only English. Thanks though, I do try and make them sound as accurate as possible.

[@hakankucuk3168]

Proper nouns are very difficult to translate into English. It's also disrespectful.

[@Eurobazz]

@@hakankucuk3168 Why is it disrespectful?

[@masrod94]

The problem with the section in Istanbul is that TCDD segregated the Marmaray commuter line from all other trains. Even though the line was expanded from double to triple-track, only one of those tracks are used for high-speed, intercity and freight. Since the commuter rail platforms were built servicing the northern and middle track, you cant just run trains interchangeably. This was a big mistake in my opinion, since like you said, it relegates high-speed trains to a slow journey through the city and restricts capacity. Had the line been built triple-track for all trains, operations would be much more flexible. Regarding Haydarpasa station, it was supposed to open with Marmaray, but while renovating the platforms an ancient Byzantine settlement was found, delaying its opening. When it will open is unknown now, but hopefully soon. Great video!

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks! And also thanks for the information.

[@MuhammedGemci]

Little context on the segregation of Marmaray tracks from mainline track. Marmaray is built to metro standards, running ATO level of CBTC system (driver responsible only for closing the doors, rest of train operation is automated) with headway of 2 mins, or 30 trains per hour per direction. Since mainline trains use ERTMS level1, there's a signaling clash, plus even YHT trains aren't as capable of fast acceleration as Marmaray trains, also the Turkish implementation of ERTMS allows a headway of 5 mins, or 12 trains per hour per direction. (Might be wrong here) All that, resulted in the decision to split tracks, with Marmaray tracks equipped with CBTC only and mainline track equipped with ERTMS only. Do note that the section between Söğütlüçeşme and Zeytinburnu (or Bakırköy) stations are equipped with both CBTC and ERTMS to allow mainline trains to cross the Bosphorus. The Karaman-İstanbul YHT and 2 Ankara-İstanbul YHT trains do the crossing daily to arrive at Halkalı through Bakırköy. For travel times, the limiting factor on Marmaray line is curvature of track, necessitating speed limits down to 67 km/h at some places. Thus, the speed advantage of YHT over Marmaray is 10 mins or less for most cases, even without any traffic related delays. The unfortunate reason for those curvatures not being fixed back during the construction, is that the entire area along the route is fully developed, one way or another. It's also the reason why mainline is single track with sidings wherever possible. If there were space available, then the mainline would get full double track all the way. For reference, rail line inside Ankara goes up to 6 tracks; 2 for commuter, 2 for mainline and 2 for YHT, with sections having 5 (single track mainline) or 4 tracks (single track mainline and YHT) where space is tight. This was possible only because land was allocated for future expansion in future, which didn't happen for İstanbul commuter which later became Marmaray. Also a final note, the 3rd Bosphorus bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim Köprüsü, is built with space to put a double track mainline/YHT connecting Gebze and Pendik stations to Halkalı station through Sabiha Gökçen and İstanbul airports through northern outskirts. Once that's built, some or (hopefully not) all YHT services will likely use that corridor instead of terminating at Söğütlüçeşme/Haydarpaşa station. As a result, the currently busy section will relax with the opening of the corridor, reducing or (likely) eliminating potential delays. But still, the curvy wiggling track alignment won't allow much improvement for speed.

[@masrod94]

@@MuhammedGemci Thank you for your comment, you have touched upon an excellent point. While the signaling clash may exist, it should have never been there in the first place. The main mistake of Marmaray is making it to "Metro standards". While Istanbul would certainly benefit from 2 minute headways, this cannot come at the expense of intercity and mainline trains. Traffic in Istanbul is already a nightmare and due to the shift in transportation policy in 1950s, Turkish railroads were heavily neglected, thus no alternate lines in Istanbul were built. This is why it is crucial that the Marmaray line be allowed to mix trains, aka standard operating procedures as regional rail/s-bahn systems in Europe. The current segregation makes for painful journey times with Marmaray to connect to Regional and Intercity services at Halkali/Gebze, with the exception of YHT trains and the Ankara Express. While the YSS Bridge rail project is great, trains need to have frequent access to Istanbul's CENTRAL districts, not outskirts. And yet to make matters worse, IBB is converting the historic railway from Kazlicesme to Sirkeci into a tram line - removing any chance for intercity rail to return to Sirkeci. This must be reverted as soon as possible. From a city planning standpoint, Sirkeci terminal is smack-dab in the center of the historic city and should offer frequent trains to destinations in Thrace and west of Istanbul. Passengers shouldnt have to be forced to take crowded Marmaray trains, stopping at every station on the line and then transfer at the edge of the city. Marmaray was an excellent project and I am very happy it was built, but the details is usually where TCDD really disappoints me. Rectifying all this will be extremely difficult and expensive (as you touched upon, lack of land-acquisition) but hopefully it can be done.

[@MuhammedGemci]

@@masrod94 you have made good points, gotta admit. I still believe the segregation is a correct move, as most passengers still have to take Marmaray to reach their final destination, and future-proofing Marmaray in a way that it will always be capable of handling passenger loads is important for daily lives of city folk. It would obviously be far better for travellers if mainline is allowed to mix with Marmaray. Time-wise, Marmaray is at most 10 mins slower than YHT, regional trains from Adapazarı already terminate at Gebze, (or Pendik, can't remember) and as mentioned, most people still take Marmaray to cross the Bosphorus. For those, boarding Marmaray earlier might allow them to take a seat instead of standing. (Very minor point, i agree) The big inconvenience would be for travellers using Metrobüs, which is one big advantage of terminating at Söğütlüçeşme. Kazlıçeşme-Sirkeci tram, AKA one big facepalm. It should have been at least an additional commuter line, providing express service from Halkalı and Bakırköy to Sirkeci, also allowing at least some intercity and European trains to terminate at Sirkeci. To revert the tram the government must take action, but seems they're not too interested. The central problem is really mostly from past Turkey doing a bad planning job, gutting Marmaray commuter to fix it will in turn create a problem for city folk who rely on the line for their daily commute. As it is, Marmaray can fix crowding simply by deploying more trains, especially on the way busier Bostancı-Söğütlüçeşme-Kazlıçeşme section. This would provide less crowded trains for intercity passengers, while making daily commute more convenient. Small win + big win, with some unfortunate losses. (ie aforementioned Metrobüs transfer) Really wish the commuter line was given extra land for quad track when it was first built...

[@masrod94]

@@MuhammedGemci You are right, there is no easy way to fix this problem. The chaotic growth and lack of planning of Turkey's cities led to this. Istanbul truly is a city planner's worse nightmare, unfortunately. Hopefully an alternate railway can be built (perhaps as an underground high-speed line) to Istanbul's central districts and replace the shore railway as the main rail line in the city, thus relieving Marmaray of the pressure. Time will tell. Cheers.

[@aivm]

The price is incredible. In Germany, you pay 36 € for a 30 km journey on the ICE (1st class, booked on the same day, if you book in advance its a bit cheaper)

[@irregular_force2602]

Price was mostly due to extremely high devaluation of Turkish lira at time of filming. But still, riding the train is cheaper than taking the bus in Türkiye :)

[@DarrylTalks]

That was a smooth move taking all the seats in the VIP compartment. A few years ago me and a friend - took a trip through Switzerland on high speed trains, and we had the entire first class upstairs compartment of a duplex train to ourselves. I seem to remember there was a couch type seat, that looked out. Also I think there are some ICE trains in Germany (I might have the wrong country) with 6 or 8 seats in a compartment - but your compartment looked better.

[@V100-e5q]

Only the older models have compartments. In ICE 3, like the one in the video, I make it a point to use the 2nd class compartments next to the restaurant car. Those were originally designed as first class. But then they found too many seat were offering 1st which were not sold. So they changed them to 2nd. The newer ICE 4 trains don't have compartments any more.

[@styles_mufasa3106]

Turkiye is beautiful country.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Agreed!

[@suhailshafi]

Wonderful trains. I would love to travel by train in Turkey.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

You should, it's fun!

[@mecakirme]

Nice and smooth travel Albs, I enjoyed watching your vlog.

[@studioalsar]

As someone who lived in Istanbul for quite a long time I can only say that the one hour ride (while indeed long) wasn't a suburban place :D Pendik is just as bustling a part of the city as Kadiköy (where Sögütlücesme is located). Haydarpasa might seem a bit more convenient but considering the connections Sogutlucesme isn't half bad, considering that it is the last station of the Metrobüs line and rather close to the subway system. Not to mention the slew of buses and minibuses that pass through there :D

[@sanys58]

i have been on the vip seats with my grandma and my family. What a great experience

[@25Erenceli25]

Impressive how Turkiye is grown up in last years...!

[@qefewfwdcwdc]

its a nationalist populist shthole that is ruining itself following a islamist economy theory made up by erdogan

[@25Erenceli25]

@@qefewfwdcwdc You need some ..🥒 You have some problems with yourself

[@salahelackad2005]

Nice shots, objective and eloquent comments. Well done👌!

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks a lot!

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

YHT in Turkey knows how to handle snow! Meanwhile in Germany, DB ICE trains are regularly delayed and subject to harsh speed restrictions when even a little snow falls.😖

[@AkSakalliDede55]

Yes,The train is very slowly when passed Istanbul because it use marmaray (Metro-Subway) line in Istanbul

[@supunnawoda8050]

This is good, and as you said the slow movement until Gebze should be avoided by developing the track to make it faster.

[@SuperalbsTravels]

I really hope they do, as it was very tedious.

[@supunnawoda8050]

@@SuperalbsTravels Yeah, actually they should feel it by common sense. Still, there could be some issues to develop infrastructure due to planning or approvals that's why it is getting late.

[@delaramsalmassi4063]

I wish really from the very deepest of my heart Turkey and Iran could be the same country! I only wish!

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog! I am from Norway and the high speed train we have is the airport express train. Do not take that. Take the Vy train to/from OSL it uses the same track, has the same speed, and one stop for 50% of the price of the airport express train… Have you taken the Swedish SJ express 2000 from Stockholm to Gothenburg?

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks for the tip, but to be fair the Flytoget does look cool! I've been on the X2, I'll make a video on it some time soon.

[@hulergun]

I used High speed train from Ankara to Istanbul. It was a fantastic luxury travel in 4 hrs. Enjoyed it tremendously. Train also has dining wagon.

[@nightknight2820]

I visited Istanbul , i had hair transplant operation, and i fell in love with Turkiye. Palestinian

[@Zuuu40]

another fantastic video thank you for recording

[@SuperalbsTravels]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed!

[@henningklemm6364]

It‘s interesting to see how similar those Siemens trains look compared to the German ICE. Except the VIP-lounges being normal 2nd class compartments, I didn‘t found any differences!

[@SuperalbsTravels]

It's very very similar except the VIP suites. :)

[@svizzy4270]

Well, they look similar because they are Siemens Velaro Trains, same as the ICE

[@NejdetACAR]

Thank you for your introductory video. Currently, there are high-speed train services to many more cities.

[@qha6104]

I enjoyed this video thoroughly, I have taken this train before and it is very convenient, except as you also mentioned that arriving at sogutlucesme isn't very convenient. They should build one connection on the European side as a connection.

[@mebrureyazici8256]

There are 6:20 and 8:55 trains from Halkalı station to Ankara as well as 15:20 and 17:20 trains from Ankara to Halkalı. Halkalı is the last stop on Marmaray train route. So those wishing to go to European side from Ankara or to Ankara from the European side of Istanbul either may take them or if the hours are inconvenient may transfer to Marmaray at Söğütlüçeşme station

[@tarkkeskin7510]

i have to make a point; Turkiye is a cold country because of mountainous geography. After Scandinavia, Italy and Austria coldest temperature record belongs to Turkiye. Cities like Antalya, Mersin, İzmir, İstanbul, Muğla are warm it is true but what people don't know is there are almost 70 cities and at least 30 of them are cold almost all year. There are cold big cities that we may mention like Ankara, Eskişehir, Kayseri, Sivas, Kars, Uşak, Denizli, Samsun, Trabzon, Erzurum, Malatya, Konya, Afyon, Kütahya