“Touristic Eastern Express” sees a 287 percent price hike
The 2023-24 season of Touristic Eastern Express has commenced, and the newly announced tariff highlights a substantial increase in the prices of sleeper car tickets. The new ticket prices have been announced, revealing a record increase of 287% in the prices for sleeper car tickets.
According to the disclosed tariff, a one-way ticket for a sleeper car, which was 1550 TL in the 2022-23 season, has seen a staggering 287% increase, now reaching 6,000 TL for the low season. The prices for the normal and high seasons are set at 8,000 TL and 12,500 TL, respectively.
The ticket prices for other accommodations include 420 TL for pulman (per person), 720 TL for a covered compartment (per person), and 2,880 TL for a covered compartment (for 4 people).
DISCOUNT FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS 65 AND OVER
Discounts of 50% will be applied to tickets for children aged 7-12 and adults aged 65 and over, while young people aged 13-26, teachers, TSK members, press members, and adults aged 60-65 will receive a 15% discount.
This year, a total of 84 trips will be made between Ankara-Kars and Kars-Ankara, with 42 trips in each direction. Additionally, extra trips will be arranged for New Year’s and semester periods, departing from Ankara on December 31, 2023, and January 20 and 27, 2024, and from Kars on January 2, 22, and 29, 2024.
Types of Cars: The Touristic Eastern Express features dining and sleeper cars, while the Classic Eastern Express offers pulman and covered compartment cars.
Stops: On the Touristic Eastern Express, stops for short excursions are allowed in Erzincan-Ilic-Erzurum in the outbound direction and in Sivas-Divrigi-Bostankaya on the return journey. The stops in Ankara-Kirikkale-Kayseri-Sivas-Erzincan-Erzurum and Kars are used for boarding passengers on the Eastern Express.
Interior Facilities: The Touristic Eastern Express is equipped with beds, a refrigerator, a table, and a sink, whereas the Classic Eastern Express uses seats that double as beds.
The schedules and days of operation for the Touristic Eastern Express and the normal Classic Eastern Express are generally not the same. The Touristic Eastern Express takes 31 hours, while the regular Eastern Express takes 25 hours.
