Istanbul Sirkeci Train Station
Sirkeci railway station (Turkish: Sirkeci garı), also known as Istanbul railway station (Turkish: İstanbul garı), is a railway terminal in Istanbul. The terminal is located on the tip of Istanbul’s historic peninsula right next to the Golden Horn and just northwest of Gülhane Park and the famous Topkapı Palace. Sirkeci Terminal, along with Haydarpaşa Terminal on the other side of the Bosphorus, are Istanbul’s two intercity and commuter railway terminals. Built in 1890 by the Oriental Railway as the eastern terminus of the world-famous Orient Express, Sirkeci Terminal has become a symbol of the city. As of 19 March 2013 service to the station had been indefinitely suspended due to the rehabilitation of the existing line between Kazlıçeşme and Halkalı for the new Marmaray commuter rail line. On 29 October 2013, a new underground station opened to the public and is currently serviced by Marmaray trains travelling across the Bosphorus. Sirkeci Terminal has a total of 4 platforms (3 above, 1 underground) with 7 tracks (5 above, 2 underground). Formerly, commuter trains to Halkalı would depart from tracks 2, 3 and 4 while regional trains to Kapıkule, Edirne and Uzunköprü along with international trains to Bucharest, Sofia and Belgrade would depart from tracks 1 and 5.