Dogu Express - Kars to Ankara, Turkiye

Today we board the Dogu Express for our 30-hour journey to the capital Ankara. When taking a photo of the engine the driver poked his head out the window to ask where I was from, then promised a smooth ride.
The Kars to Ankara journey is listed as one of the world’s scenic train routes and it didn’t disappoint. Wide open valleys, narrow rocky canyons, abandoned hilltop castles, duck farms, lonely shepherds tending large sheep and cattle flocks.
The driver stuck to his promise – the train tracked along smoothly until a few hours outside of Ankara when a wheel hit a rock that had fallen beside the rail. The train stopped while the engineers checked all systems and decided we could proceed, albeit at a slower speed, to Ankara.
During winter I can only imagine the numerous and hazardous avalanches and rockslides that would hold up the Dogu.Läs mer