Taurus Express

The Taurus Express (Turkish: Toros Ekspresi) is a passenger train operating daily between Konya and Adana. In the past it was a premier overnight passenger train operated by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits between Istanbul and Baghdad. After 1972, passengers could travel down to Basra via connection to the Express 2 made at Baghdad Central Station. However, service was suspended in 2003, due to the outbreak of war in Iraq. In 2012, the State Railways renewed service between Eskişehir and Adana and will once again service Istanbul when track work in the city is complete. There is a chance that the train may continue to its former terminus in Baghdad in the future, but the possibility remains low for the time being.

Taurus Express

The southbound Taurus Express waiting to depart Konya station.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Active
Locale	Interior Anatolia, south Turkey
Predecessor	CD, CNS
First service	1930, 2012
Last service	2003- restarted after various arrangements and updates.
Current operator(s)	Turkish State Railways
Former operator(s)	Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits
Route
Termini	Konya Garı, Konya Adana central railway station, Adana
Distance travelled	1,600 kilometers (990 mi)
Service frequency	Daily
On-board services
Seating arrangements	Coach or Couchette
Sleeping arrangements	Private rooms
Catering facilities	Dining Car
Baggage facilities	At select stations
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Istanbul-Eskişehir (Envirye)
Track owner(s)	TCDD, CFS, IRR
Route map km 0 Istanbul Haydarpaşa 1 Söğütlüçeşme 9 Bostancı 24 Pendik İstanbul Kocaeli border 44 Gebze 83 Derince 91 İzmit Kocaeli Sakarya border 131 Arifye 156 Alifuatpaşa 167 Pamukova Sakarya Bilecik border 195 Osmaneli 231 Bilecik 248 Karaköy 263 Bozüyük Bilecik Eskişehir border 313 Eskişehir Enveriye 514 Gökçekısık Eskişehir Kütahya border 374 Sabuncupınar 514 Uluköy 502 Alayunt 76 km 47 mi Kütahya 502 Alayunt Müselles Kütahya Afyonkarahisar border 344 Döğer 393 İhsaniye 359 Hamam 344 Afyon 418 Çay 467 Sultandağı Afyonkarahisar Konya border 486 Akşehir 504 Argıthan 521 Ilgın 535 Kadınhan 551 Sarayönü Meydan 576 Konya 588 Kaşınhan 619 Çumra 645 Arıkören Konya Karaman border 668 Karaman 677 Sudurağı 772 Ayrancı Karaman Konya border 781 Ereğli 815 Çakmak Konya Niğde border 832 Osmancık 865 Ulukışla 940 Gümüş 1,000 Çiftehan Niğde Adana border 1,020 Pozantı 1,034 Belemdik 1,050 Hacıkırı 1,086 Karaisalıbucağı 1,126 Kelebek Adana Mersin border 1,206 Durak 1,247 Yenice Mersin Adana border 1,254 Şakirpaşa 1,274 Adana 1,279 Kiremithane 1,292 İncirlik 1,312 Yakapınar 1,333 Ceyhan Adana Osmaniye border 1,364 Toprakkale 1,375 Osmaniye 1,384 Mamure 1,397 Yarbaşı 1,410 Bahçe 1,418 Ayran Osmaniye Gaziantep border 1,429 Fevzipaşa 1,443 Nurdağ Gaziantep Kahramanmaraş border 1,457 Beyoğlu 1,469 Türkoğlu 1,481 Köprüağzı 1,497 Narlı Kahramanmaraş Gaziantep border 1,563 Başpınar 1,581 Gaziantep km

History

The historical route of the Taurus Express in 1930

Poster for railways CIWL Orient-Express and Taurus Express.

The Taurus Express ran for the first time on 15 February 1930. However, at that time, passengers had to transfer to a motor coach provided by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits for the stage of the journey between Nusaybin and Kirkuk. From Kirkuk, the journey was continued on the meter-gauge railway to Baghdad. In 1939, this service was running three times a week from Istanbul to Baghdad, with connections to Teheran and to Cairo.

With the completion of the Baghdad Railway, the first continuous rail journey of the Taurus Express departed from Haydarpaşa Terminal in Istanbul on July 17, 1940, and arrived at Baghdad Central Station in Baghdad on July 20, 1940.

The Taurus Express originally ran on tracks owned by the Turkish State Railways, Southern Railways, Northern Syria & Cilician Railways and the Iraqi State Railways. The Turkish State Railways acquired the Southern Railways in 1948 and the Syrian Railways acquired the Northern Syria & Cilician Railways in 1965. The train ran twice weekly but after 1972 it ran weekly.

Consist

The consist of the first Taurus Express was this:

• TCDD Steam Loco 3688
• TCDD Baggage Car
• CIWL Sleeping Car
• CIWL Sleeping Car
• TCDD Coach
• TCDD Coach
• TCDD Baggage Car

After 1972 the diesel locomotives were the main power and the consists from 1972 to 2003 were like this:

• IRR DEM 2000 Locomotive (Baghdad-Karkamış)
• TCDD DE 24000 Locomotive (Karkamış-Istanbul)
• TCDD Postage Car
• TCDD Sleeping Car
• TCDD Couchette Car
• TCDD Coach
• TCDD Baggage Car

In popular culture

The Taurus Express is featured in Agatha Christie's crime novel Murder on the Orient Express (1934). While the main body of the story takes place on another of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits trains, the Simplon-Orient Express, the opening chapter of the book takes place on the Taurus Express.

External links

Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "The Taurus Express", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 1521–1528 illustrated description of the route and a journey from Haydarpasa station to Basra

• Toros Ekspresi