Earthquake Mobilization on Railways

The earthquake, the epicenter of which was Kahramanmaraş- Pazarcık and caused great destruction in 10 provinces, shook Turkey deeply. Citizens from all over Turkey; It mobilized with all its means to heal the wounds of the earthquake, to meet the needs of the earthquake victims, and to give hope to every human being. Sharing the pain of the hearts shaken by the earthquake and being a warm hope where the snow and freezing cold weather made life more difficult, the railwaymen also delivered the emergency needs and clothing materials they collected as part of the aid.

TRAINS AND WAGONS WERE WARM HOME FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

As the Republic of Turkey State Railways (TCDD), we opened our doors to our citizens affected by the earthquake. Wherever there are railwaymen, there is a hot soup that will warm the heart, and a smiling face that will put the hearts at ease. We have opened our construction sites in the earthquake zone to the service of our citizens. Approximately 850 citizens were provided with food and accommodation. In order to meet the shelter needs of our citizens in our provinces affected by the earthquake, we tried to be a little balm for the wounds of our citizens by creating a capacity of 6 thousand people in train sets, wagons and social education facilities. Our trains at our stations in the earthquake zone became a warm home for our citizens. We also met the food needs of the earthquake victims staying on these trains.

OUR DAMAGED LINES ARE REPAIRED FAST

We are reopening the railway lines damaged due to the earthquake by quickly repairing and maintaining them. Many lines damaged by the earthquake were quickly opened to traffic. Intense work continues to ensure that transportation is open on all lines. As a result of the studies, from Malatya to Sivas, Elazig and Diyarbakir; Railway transportation from Mersin to Adana, Osmaniye, İskenderun, Niğde and Kayseri was re-established. Mutual train services were launched on the Mersin-Adana-Osmaniye-Iskenderun Line to meet the transportation needs of all citizens affected by the earthquake. Additional train services were put into operation for the transfer of earthquake victims to other regions. In order to transport our citizens affected by the earthquake from Malatya to Sivas and Ankara, DMU train sets were deployed between Malatya and Sivas, and YHT sets between Sivas and Kırıkkale. Marmaray and Kağıthane-Istanbul Airport Metro Line started to provide 24-hour uninterrupted service to facilitate the transportation of citizens coming from the earthquake zone.

OUR TRAINS BRING HOPE TO THE REGION

Together with the railway stakeholders, we landed on the field with all our means. Our “Fire Fighting and Rescue Train” played an important role in extinguishing the fire in Iskenderun Port. Our trains, coordinated by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and AFAD, brought hope to the region to help our brothers affected by the earthquake. 11 trains containing various living materials, construction equipment and shelter wagons were sent to the earthquake zone.

The railwaymen who participate in the search and rescue work in earthquake areas try to be the hand that extends to life by joining the day and night. After the sad news was heard, the railway workers, engineers and employees who went to the region fought hard to save our citizens from the rubble and helped hundreds of our people to hold on to life. Our greatest joy was that at the 102nd hour of the disaster, our colleague mechanic Kadri Oktay and his family were rescued from the wreckage alive.

Our greatest strength is our togetherness and our spirit of solidarity. As railwaymen, we are working hard to heal the wounds of the earthquake and to reach good days again.