Any day of the week you can ride this train between Ankara, Kayseri, Sivas and Malatya, but after Malatya the route divides and the train goes to different cities on different days of the week.
So if you board the train in Ankara on Tuesday or Sunday morning, it will be named the Vangölü Ekspresi bound for Tatvan, but if you board on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday morning, it will be the Güney Kurtalan Ekspresi, bound for Diyarbakir and Kurtalan.
Ankara-Tatvan Tuesday & Sunday
The Vangölü Ekspresi departs Ankara at 10:55 am on Tuesday and Sunday hauling reserved and unreserved compartment cars, a couchette car, and a sleeping car.
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| City walls, Diyarbakır, Turkey. Note the pedestrians (in white circle). |
It stops at Kayseri, Sivas, Malatyaand Elazığ, and traditionally continues to Muş and reaches Tatvan about 25 hours after leaving Ankara.
Departures from Tatvan are on Tuesday and Thursday at 07:00 am, with arrival in Ankara the next morning at 07:44 am—if the train is on time.
Ankara-Kurtalan All Other Days
The Güney Kurtalan Ekspresideparts Ankara at 10:55 am every day except Tuesday and Sunday, taking nearly 24 hours to reach Kurtalan, east of Diyarbakır and Batman.
Departures from Kurtalan are at 08:00 am on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with arrival in Ankara the next day around 07:44 am.
Please read this safety notice about sleeping car travel.
—by Tom Brosnahan
| Trains by City of Departure |  |
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