Turkey's state railways to launch new high-speed line

ANKARA (A.A) - August 3, 2011 - Turkish State Railways, or TCDD, will make public the launch of a new high-speed rail line which will connect Turkish capital Ankara to central Konya province. 
The 250-km new line will be put into service later this month, TCDD officials said.
Test-run of the 1 billion TL Ankara-Konya high-speed rail line was conducted in June. TCDD will use 12 high-speed train sets with a maximum speed of 300 kilometers per hour. TCDD will procure 6 more sets with up to 350 kilometers per hour.
Journey time between the two cities will be 1 and a half hours.
TCDD officials promised cheaper promotional tickets at the beginning of the new service. 
Turkey started high-speed railway projects in 2003. The first section, between Ankara and Eskisehir, was inaugurated in 2009. It is a part of the 533 km Istanbul-Ankara high-speed rail line.