The 9th of September Express ( tr, 9 Eylül Ekspresi) was an overnight train, operated by the

Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey ...

, from

Basmane Terminal Basmane railway station ( tr, Basmane Garı) is an intercity and regional railway terminal and rapid transit station in İzmir, Turkey. Along with Alsancak station, Basmane is one of two railway terminals in the city. All TCDD Taşımacılık t ...

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

Ankara Central Station Ankara railway station ( tr, Ankara Garı) is the main railway station in Ankara, Turkey, and is a major transportation hub within the city. The station is the eastern terminus of the Istanbul-Ankara railway corridor, as well as the easternmost ...

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

. The name of the service refers to 9 September 1922, the date on which the Greek occupation of İzmir ended after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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.TCDD Raillife magazine 34th edition (October 2008) - Page 76 The train serviced 6 provincial capitals:

Manisa Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province. Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port ci ...

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in Turkey and is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is located in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 338,936. Between 1341–1922, it was the capital of Karasi. History Close to ...

, Kütahya,

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from "old" and "city") is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 898,369 with a metropolitan population of 797,708. The city is located on the banks of the ...

and

. 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:9th Of September Express Passenger rail transport in Turkey Named passenger trains of Turkey