The 9th of September Express (Turkish: 9 Eylül Ekspresi) was an overnight train, operated by the Turkish State Railways, from Basmane Terminal, İzmir to Ankara Central Station, Ankara. The name of the service refers to 9 September 1922, the date on which the Greek occupation of İzmir ended after World War I.

9th of September Express

The 9th of September Express at Ayvacık station.
Overview
Service type	Intercity rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Western Turkey
First service	8 September 2003[1]
Last service	20 January 2010
Current operator(s)	Turkish State Railways
Route
Termini	Basmane Terminal, İzmir Ankara
Stops	31
Distance travelled	824 km (512 mi)
Average journey time	13 hours, 25 minutes (Eastbound) 13 hours, 6 minutes (Westbound)
Service frequency	Daily each way
On-board services
Seating arrangements	Coach Seating
Sleeping arrangements	Sleeping Car
Catering facilities	Dining Car
Baggage facilities	At select stations
Technical
Rolling stock	TVS2000
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Track owner(s)	TCDD
Route map Legend Distance Station 0 km Izmir Basmane 1 km (0.6 mi) Halkapınar 9 km (5.6 mi) Karşıyakaı 17 km (10.6 mi) Çiğli 24 km (14.9 mi) Ulukent 31 km (19.3 mi) Menemen 38 km (23.6 mi) Emiralem İzmir Manisa 66 km (41.0 mi) Manisa 84 km (52.2 mi) Saruhanlı 117 km (72.7 mi) Akhisar 146 km (90.7 mi) Kırkağaç 158 km (98 mi) Soma Manisa Balıkesir 185 km (115.0 mi) Savaştepe 240 km (149.1 mi) Balıkesir 267 km (165.9 mi) Nusrat 284 km (176.5 mi) Mezitler 318 km (197.6 mi) Selimağa 330 km (205.1 mi) Dursunbey 377 km (234.3 mi) Gökçedağ Balıkesir Kütahya 403 km (250.4 mi) Değirmisaz 442 km (274.6 mi) Tavşanlı 459 km (285.2 mi) Güzelyurt 469 km (291.4 mi) Köprüören 492 km (305.7 mi) Kütahya 502 km (311.9 mi) Alayunt 514 km (319.4 mi) Uluköy Kütahya Eskişehir 545 km (338.6 mi) Gökçkısık 568 km (352.9 mi) Eskişehir Eskişehir Ankara 741 km (460.4 mi) Polatlı 806 km (500.8 mi) Sincan 831 km (516.4 mi) Ankara

The journey from İzmir to Ankara took 13 hours and 25 minutes, while the journey from Ankara to İzmir took 13 hours and 6 minutes.[2] The train serviced 6 provincial capitals: İzmir, Manisa, Balıkesir, Kütahya, Eskişehir and Ankara.

Along with the Karesi Express and İzmir Blue Train, the 9th of September Express was one of three trains to operate between Ankara and İzmir.

The Karesi Express operated between İzmir and Ankara since 1938. However the Karesi had no sleeping cars. Demand for more services between the two cities had been rising. So on April 1, 1972, the 9th of September Express made its first journey in about 14 hours. In the 1980s the İzmir Blue Train was added making 3 daily trains between İzmir and Ankara. On January 20, 2010, the 9th of September Express was discontinued, due to low ridership.

External links

• Trains and Railways of Turkey - History of Turkish Railways

References