Turkish railways are deploying troops on two lines from Ankara.
Turkish state railways TCCD took over the last of the nineteen ordered high-speed Velaro units from Siemens Mobility. The last one should be put into normal operation during June.
Siemens announced the completion of the contract in a press release. “The delivery of the last vehicle of the Turkish Velar fleet well in advance of the originally planned date is an important milestone in our partnership with the Turkish side, “ said Albrecht Neumann, General Manager for Rolling Stock at Siemens Mobility.
The first Velaro for Turkey was ordered in 2013 and has been carrying passengers between Ankara and Konya since May 2015. The eight-car units reach a maximum speed of 300 km / h, and are marked HT80000 on the Turkish railways. The carrier still uses twelve high-speed units from the Spanish manufacturer CAF.
The contract covers the maintenance, repair and cleaning of trains for three years. Thanks to timely delivery, traffic with passengers began in record time. On average, only 24 months elapsed between the signing of the last contract and the commissioning of the units.
The troops connect Ankara with Konya and Eskisehir. Another 533-kilometer route to Istanbul is planned for the future. It runs in a configuration for a total of 483 passengers. The dining car is equipped with another eight seats in the bistro at the bar and 28 seats in the restaurant. In Business and First Class, touch screens are integrated into the seats.
Velaro units have been developed for the global market and are currently in operation in Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Russia, China, Turkey and the Netherlands. Siemens Mobility engineering development workplaces in Prague, Ostrava and Pilsen play a significant role in the technical solution of their mechanical and electrical parts.
