Turkey’s new touristic train Karaelmas Express completed its promotional tour starting from Ankara on Friday, March 8, ahead of the Western Black Sea Touristic Train Tour that will start on April 12.
Within the scope of the Karaelmas Express Western Black Sea Touristic Train Tour, passengers had the opportunity to see the rich natural, historical and cultural heritage of the Western Black Sea region during the promotional tour starting from Ankara to Çankırı, Karabük and Zonguldak.
Kalecik with its vineyards and historical castle, Çankırı with its salt cave and museums, and Çerkeş with its historical mansions were the first stops along the route.
Karaelmas Express offered its passengers the opportunity to walk the cobblestone streets of Safranbolu, a UNESCO Cultural Heritage City, one of the most beautiful examples of classical Ottoman urban architecture.
Within the scope of the tour, which shed light on the history of mining in Turkey’s first and only Mining Museum, passengers observed the working conditions of miners, the functioning of the mine and the working process in the Turkish Coal Corporation (TTK) Training Quarry in Zonguldak.
Touristic train passengers who also visited Gökgöl Cave, which stands out with its millions of years old coral fossils in Zonguldak, watched the galleries, stalactites, stalagmites, stalagmites, columns and travertines in the cave with interest.
The passengers, who had the opportunity to travel through the forests of Yenice with its nature by train passing through riversides, tunnels and bridges, examined the ruins of the historical buildings unearthed in the ancient city of Hadrianapolis in Eskipazar.
Karaelmas Express, which reached Ankara at night, thus completed its two-day promotional journey.
Karaelmas Express Western Black Sea Touristic Train Tour services will start on April 12.
“A unique experience”
Passenger Önderhan Gültekin, who shared his experiences and observations about the journey with AA correspondent, described the trip as a “unique experience”.
Expressing that the train route offered many different beauties, Gültekin said, “We had the opportunity to see many things that we could not see by road. It was a nice experience for us. We accumulated unforgettable memories.”
Gültekin stated that the program can be organized with some changes to be made in the program and the cities to be stopped on the way to and from.
Yasemin Kocaman said that they had a long but good tour experience.
Once a week
With the Karaelmas Express Western Black Sea Touristic Train, one outbound and one inbound touristic trip will be organized weekly on the Ankara-Zonguldak line.
Travel agencies will also offer travel options in different packages for the tours, the number of which is expected to be increased according to demand.
Touristic train tours are expected to contribute to the tourism of the cities on the route as well as other cities close to these cities.
