Istanbul Sirkeci Railway Station
| Istanbul Sirkeci | |
|---|---|
 Inside the train station
|
|
| Data | |
| Location in the network | Terminus |
| Platform tracks | 3 |
| IBNR | 7500003 |
| opening | 1873 / November 3, 1890 |
| Architectural data | |
| architect | August Jasmund |
| location | |
| City / municipality | Fatih (Istanbul) |
| Place / district | Istanbul |
| province | Istanbul |
| Country | Turkey |
| Coordinates | 41 ° 0 '54 " N , 28 ° 58' 37" E |
| Railway lines | |
| List of train stations in Turkey | |
The Istanbul Sirkeci station ( Turkish Sirkeci garı ) is a station of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) in Sirkeci, a district in the European part of Istanbul ( Turkey ). International, domestic and regional trains run westward from this station. This terminal station which was inaugurated as the terminus of the Orient Express to fame. For trains to the east, Istanbul Haydarpaşa station in the Asian part is the starting point.
The railroad
After the Crimean War it was decided that a train connection between Europe and Istanbul had to be built. The first treaty was signed in January 1857 by a British MP named Labro. However, this contract was terminated three months later because it was unable to provide the required investment capital. Similar contracts signed by British and Belgian entrepreneurs in 1860 and 1868 ended with the same result.
On April 17, 1869, the license for the "Rumeli Railway" was awarded to the Compagnie des Chemins de fer Orientaux by Baron Hirsch (actually Moritz Freiherr Hirsch auf Gereuth), a banker from Bavaria. The project envisaged a route from Istanbul via Edirne , Plovdiv and Sarajevo to the banks of the Sava . Construction of the first 15 km from the western outskirts of Istanbul to Halkalı began on June 4, 1870 and was completed on January 4, 1871. An extension of the route to Sirkeci as a starting point was requested because Yeşilköy was too far from the Eminönü trading center . The first option for the line was a route from Beyazıt down to the bank of the Golden Horn . The Ottoman Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz decided and allowed the route to run along the coastline of the Marmara Sea , bordering the walls of the deeper garden of Topkapi Palace . This extension of the line was completed on July 21, 1872. In 1873 a terminus was built in Sirkeci, which was then referred to as "temporary".
History of the station
Construction of a new building began on February 11, 1888. The head station , originally called Müşir Ahmet Paşa Station called, was opened on November 3, 1890, replaced the same time the temporary station in 1873. The architect of the project was August Jasmund , a Prussian construction clerk sent to Istanbul by the government to study Ottoman architecture.
The construction of the station complex on an area of 1200 m² is one of the greatest examples of European orientalism , which in turn influenced the designs of other architects. At the time, the building was considered extremely modern due to its gas lighting and winter heating.
The station restaurant became a meeting place for journalists, authors and other people from the media elite in the 1950s and 1960s.
The building has largely been preserved in its original state. However, the area around the station has changed significantly since 1890.
In connection with the Marmaray project, a railway tunnel between Europe and Asia, an underground station was built on October 29, 2013 under the existing train station. Due to construction work in connection with Marmaray, the historic train station remains closed to traffic - except for scrapping.
It remains uncertain whether it will be reopened to passenger traffic after the end of construction in 2015/2016. Plans to allow trains arriving from Bulgaria to end here are in conflict with the city's rededication as a cultural and tourist center.
Istanbul Railway Museum
In one room of the station there is a small railway museum that describes the history of the railway line to Istanbul. A German-made B-coupled steam locomotive has been erected as a memorial in front of the station.
Today's international connections
All passenger traffic was suspended in the summer of 2013 due to construction work to upgrade the tram. In 2012 there were connections via Bulgaria and Romania . The previously existing connections to Greece , Serbia and Germany were no longer served.
The last remaining international train is the overnight Istanbul-Sofia-Express with through coaches from / to Bucharest. This train ends and starts only from the suburban train station Halkali. There is shuttle bus service between Halkali and Sirkeci.
Public transport connections
- Sirkeci – Halkalı S-Bahn
- Various bus routes
- Kabataş - Zeytinburnu tram
- Eminönü – Kabataş ferry
- Ferry Eminönü – Bostancı– Prince Islands
- Car ferry Eminönü– Harem
- Eminönü ferry - Haydarpaşa train station
