Train, inter-city bus services to resume soon in Turkey

Tickets for the high-speed train went on sale on Monday, May 25 in Turkey ahead of the resumption of services later this week, while major intercity bus companies have announced the recommencement of their services in early June.

Turkey has been gradually easing the measures initially introduced to arrest the spread of the coronavirus, and as part of these efforts the railway authority plans to relaunch the high-speed train services between Ankara and Istanbul, the western province of Eskişehir and the Central Anatolian province of Konya as of May 28.

A total of 16 services are scheduled daily between those cities and tickets were on sale on May 25.

Train tickets can be purchased via the mobile application, website, or from ticket offices.

Maintaining the social distancing rules, the trains will operate with 50 percent capacity and passengers will sit leaving a seat in a row empty.

People need to prove that they are clear for travel between cities.

The citizens have to use a special code they can obtain through an application developed by the Health Ministry to show they are not sick or carrying the virus and be able to board trains to buy a ticket.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu said that the people aged over 65 or under 20 will be required to have travel permits as they are facing restrictions going outside.