Halkalı railway station
Halkalı | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Looking at the station lobby from the Marmaray platform. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | İstasyon Cd., İstasyon Mah., 34303 Küçükçekmece/Istanbul Turkey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°01′08″N 28°46′00″E / 41.01889°N 28.76667°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | TCDD Transport intercity and commuter rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Turkish State Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | TCDD Taşımacılık | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 4 island platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus stands | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus operators |  İETT Bus: 79Y, 89A, 143, BN1, H-3, MR40, MR42, MR50, MR51, MK16, MR52, MR54 Istanbul Minibus: K.S.S Hastanesi–Cennet Metrobüs, Deprem Konutları–Küçükçekmece, Küçükçekmece–Kayaşehir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  Istanbul Metro: M11 (Halkalı) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Structure type | At-Grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 22 July 1872 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 2013-16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1955, 2013-16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | 1955 25 kV AC, 50 Hz OL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Halkalı station (Turkish: Halkalı garı) is the westernmost station on the Marmaray line as well as in Istanbul. The station also services regional trains to Edirne, Uzunköprü, Çerkezköy and international trains to Sofia. In summer, there may be through trains to Bucharest too. Halkalı station is 27.63 km (17.17 mi) from the Istanbul Sirkeci Terminal .
Overview
[edit]The Halkalı logistics center and the old Halkalı electric train maintenance depot are located near the station. The station is next to Lake Küçükçekmece and services the population in north-central Küçükçekmece.
The terminal is the departure terminal for all freight trains to Europe and is an important container terminal, used by rail container lines IFB, Express Interfracht, Europe Intermodal and Metrans. It is possible that the Marmaray will eventually be extended to Ispartakule, which may cause further construction works and closures in the future.[1][2]
As Halkalı is now surrounded by residential areas due to the growth of the city, its role as the main customs post for trucks to Europe is due to end, with trucks using the new Muratbey Customs Office (Muratbey Gümrük Müdürlüğü) in Çatalca instead.[3]
Between July 2005 and February 2011 the Friendship Express, (an international InterCity train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and TrainOSE linking Istanbul's Sirkeci station, Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece) made scheduled stops at Halkalı.
Between 1991 and March 2013 the Balkan Express, (an international overnight InterCity sleeper train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD), Bulgarian State Railways (BDŽ), Serbian Railways (ŽS) and Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) linking Istanbul's Sirkeci station, Turkey and Budapest Keleti station, via Sofia, Bulgaria and Belgrade, Serbia, made scheduled stops at Halkalı.
On 20 June 2026, an extension of Istanbul Metro Line 11 from the station to the new Istanbul Airport opened, allowing passengers to reach the airport in 30 minutes.[4][5]
Future services
[edit]M1B of the Istanbul Metro is planned to expand to Halkalı.
Halkalı will be the future terminus of the Istanbul–Kapıkule railway heading west to the Bulgarian border, just west of Edirne. The railway has been under construction since 2019 and is expected to open in 2028.[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ Uysal, Onur. "Halkali Opening may be Postponed", Rail Turkey, 25 September 2014
- ↑ Uysal, Onur. "What Will Happen in Turkish Railways in 2015?", Rail Turkey, 1 January 2015
- ↑ "Muratbey Gümrük Müdürlüğü - Gümrük ve Turizm İşletmeleri Tic. A.Ş."
- ↑ "The entire Halkalı — Istanbul Airport metro line (M11 metro line) will open in 2026. | Reptur". reptur.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
- ↑ "Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Biz tribünlere değil, her zaman gönüllere oynadık" [President Erdoğan: We have always played to the hearts of the people, not to the stands.]. TRT Haber (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "ROCS contract awarded for Halkali–Kapikule railway". www.railwaypro.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.