(Source: Treehugger;  Photo viaSakarya54.net)

Excerpts from Tree Hugger report:

Americans aren’t the only ones newly enamored of high-speed rail. Turkey’s first fast train makes its official debut this week, but railway officials are already envisioning anetwork spanning the country, which has been woefully under-served by train routes of any kind. (Though Turkey’s long-haul bus system puts Greyhound to shame.)

That first fast line, between the capital city, Ankara, and Eskişehir, about 210 kilometers away, will have its coming-out party on Friday. Test runs show it should cut the travel time between the two cities from 180 minutes to 70 or 80 minutes. The train will make eight round-trips a day, carrying up to 419 passengers and will include a business section with power outlets to charge laptops, eight cafeterias, and LCD screens for watching TV at each seat.