Istanbul–Ankara railway Istanbul–Ankara railway The Istanbul–Ankara railway () is a long electrified railway in Turkey. The line connects Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, to the capital and second largest city, Ankara; making it one the busiest railways in the country in terms of passenger and freight rail traffic. The railway runs parallel to the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway and in several sections, the railway hosts YHT high-speed trains. The line begins at Haydarpaşa Terminal in Istanbul and ends at Ankara railway station in Ankara. Before the opening of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway in 2009, the Istanbul–Ankara railway was the busiest line in Turkey as
Altındağ, Ankara remains one of the poorer quarters of the capital. The hillside is covered with illegally built gecekondu housing, home to low-income families. Among the housing there are some municipal buildings, public housing, state housing for civil servants and lots of small workshops doing car repairs and other light mechanical work. The ancient Ankara Castle is in Altındağ and there has recently been investment in restoration work. With this architectural heritage, Altındağ is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions. Altındağ includes parts of the historic city of Ankara, as well as the first National Assembly