Tickets for the train route between Türkiye's eastern province of Van and Iran's capital, Tehran, will go on sale on Feb. 25 as the service is due to restart next month, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Sunday.
"The first service will be from Tehran on March 9 and from Van on March 10," the minister said.
In a written statement, Uraloğlu said that they are taking steps toward the goal of strengthening Türkiye's international cooperation in railway transportation.
In line with this, the minister expressed that Tehran-Van train services will resume as a result of the talks they held with the Iranian railways authority, recalling that approximately 10,000 passengers were carried between the two cities in 2019 and 2020 when the line operated.
He also reminded that the services were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: "Railway cooperation between Türkiye and Iran is of great importance in terms of strengthening regional transportation and increasing tourism mobility. The resumption of services of the Tehran-Van train will further strengthen both economic and cultural ties."
He also informed that the train will make two reciprocal trips per week.
"The Tehran-Van Passenger Train will depart from Tehran at 12:35 on Sundays and Wednesdays and from Van at 20:00 on Mondays and Thursdays. Our passengers will have a pleasant 22-hour journey in the comfort of the railway. Tickets will be available on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The first trip will be from Tehran on March 9 and from Van on March 10," he said.
According to the information provided in the statement, the train to be operated by the Iran Passenger Transport Company (RAJA) will consist of seven couchette cars with a capacity of 40 people.
In Türkiye, tickets will be sold at the Adana, Ankara, Eskişehir, Istanbul (Sirkeci), Istanbul (Halkalı), Izmir (Basmane), Konya and Van ticket offices of Turkish State Railways, TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş.
