Turkey's first high-speed starting service today with trip from Ankara to Eskisehir

Turkey's first high-speed train line will begin operating today, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan among the passengers on the inaugural trip. An opening ceremony is scheduled for today at the Ankara train station, and then Erdogan and other Cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and journalists will take the 80-minute trip to the central Anatolian province of Eskisehir. After arriving, they will also participate in a ceremony at the Eskisehir station. Beginning tomorrow, chartered trips on the line will begin. The 200-kilometer line runs between Ankara and Eskisehir, cutting the three-hour trip between the two cities down to one hour and 20 minutes. There will also be a ceremony to mark the occasion in Yozgat, where the next high-speed link is set to extend, led by Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek. The Ankara-Eskisehir line will offer an introductory fare of TL 5 until April 1, to be followed by TL 30 for first-class seats, TL 20 for economy class, and TL 16 for students and group-discounted tickets.