Türkiye’s historic Eastern Express on late Tuesday completed its first trip of the season, arriving in eastern Kars, the last stop after a journey of approximately 30 hours.
The train, on its first voyage of the 2023-2024 period, set off from the historical Ankara railway station at 5 p.m. on Monday to come to Kars.
On late Tuesday, the train reached the train station in eastern Erzurum at around 5 p.m. after a journey of more than one day, and departed Kars on the return leg after only a three-hour break.
In Kars, passengers were welcomed with flowers, while Caucasus folk dances and an instrumental concert were performed at the station.
The welcome ceremony ended with the lighting of the Kars sign with a torch in front of the station.
Kars Governor Ziya Polat told reporters that they were happy to welcome the train to Kars, “the gateway of Anatolia, the city of civilization and firsts.”
“The Eastern Express is a very important investment that increases the brand value of Kars, the pearl of the east, the lands where Turks first stepped into Anatolia,” Polat said.
Other officials expressed their thankfulness to the people of locals, who warmly and enthusiastically welcomed the passengers into the city.
The Eastern Express became extremely popular after people started sharing photos of the scenery on social media.
Before the express' popularity, the average age of passengers was 50, but now university students, photographers and videographers are frequent passengers, as the experience provides a wealth of landscapes and vistas, especially during wintertime.
After leaving Ankara, the Eastern Express makes brief stops in the eastern cities of Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum, before reaching Kars. The 1,300-kilometer (808-mile) long route lasts nearly 32 hours.
The four other lines are namely the Lake Van Express, Kurtalan Express, Karaelmas Express and the Lakes Express.
Departing from Ankara, the Lake Van Express (Vangölü Ekspres) passes through Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Malatya, Elazığ, Bingöl, Muş and reaches the shores of Lake Van at Bitlis' Tatvan district in eastern Türkiye after approximately 26 hours of travel.
Besides the lush nature in Bitlis, by using the express travelers can also enjoy the unique view of the Ararat and Nemrut mountains and Lake Van, an area with significant tourism potential.
