For centuries Amasya lived in the narrow strip of the Yeşilırmak valley, tied to the outside world largely by roads and the routes that ran along the river. In the early years of the Republic the railway was one of the most tangible efforts to break this geographic isolation. The line that linked the port of Samsun with Central Anatolia opened the valley both to the Black Sea and to Sivas, and Amasya Station took its place on that line as the building that opened a new chapter in the city's transport history.

The Republic's Railway Policy

In the last years of the Ottoman Empire a large share of Anatolia's railways had been built and operated under concessions granted to foreign-capital companies. The Republic changed this arrangement: the operation of the lines passed into state hands, and new lines began to be laid by the state, with the needs of the national economy in mind. The aim was not only to carry passengers. The intention was to build a network that would carry the agricultural and mining products of the interior to the ports, and the goods arriving at the ports back to the interior. The Samsun-Sivas line was one of the two lines planned to connect the Black Sea with Central Anatolia.

The Samsun-Sivas (Kalın) line is the second railway built by the state in the Republican period. Some sources state that construction began on 21 September 1924, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk laid the foundation, while other records say that the State Railways and Ports Administration began the actual work in 1926. The difference may arise from treating the foundation ceremony and the real start of construction separately. In 1929 responsibility for construction passed to the General Directorate of State Railways, as it was then called. The line leaves Samsun, crosses the provinces of Amasya and Tokat, and joins the Ankara-Kars line at Kalın, in the Yıldızeli district of Sivas. Its total length is about 378 kilometres.

On the contracting side, one known detail is that the French company that had first taken on the line abandoned the work in 1926 and construction was left to Turkish contractors. Foremost among them was Nuri Bey, later known as Demirağ, the surname Atatürk gave him. Nuri Bey entered the tender for an initial seven-kilometre section with a very low bid and won it; the rest of the work was then given to him on a trial basis, and he continued by taking his brother Abdurrahman Naci Bey as a partner. His name is often mentioned when the opening day of the Havza-Amasya-Samsun section is recalled.

Sources on Nuri Demirağ write that in the following years the brothers completed 1,012 kilometres of railway, including the Samsun-Erzurum, Sivas-Erzurum and Afyon-Dinar lines, in a short time, and that in mountainous, rocky terrain they worked with sledgehammers to cut tunnels. Atatürk's giving him the surname Demirağ in 1934 is described as a reward for this work. This information concerns the contractor's activity in general rather than the whole Samsun-Sivas line; we have no detailed document saying who built which part of the Amasya section.

The Line Opens in Sections

The line entered service not as a whole but section by section. The first section, about 47.5 kilometres between Samsun Station and Kavak, opened in 1926. The second, about 98 kilometres from Kavak to Kayabaşı, was completed in 1927, and Havza and Amasya lay within it. The 69 kilometres between Kayabaşı and Zile entered service in 1928, the roughly 70 kilometres between Zile and Kunduz in 1930, and the final 93-kilometre section between Kunduz and Kalın on 15 December 1932. Some sources give 1931 as the year of completion. This contradiction can be read as 1931 marking the end of the main construction work and 1932 the opening of the whole line to traffic.

For Amasya the decisive date is 21 November 1927. On that day the Havza-Amasya-Samsun section was opened to traffic and the city was for the first time connected by rail to a port. A document of the Ministry of Public Works, State Railways, bearing the same date and titled "The Opening to Service of the Amasya Station of the Samsun-Sivas Railway" also shows that the opening was officially announced that day. The document is part of a commemorative publication that includes short historical notes on the line and on the cities of Samsun, Havza and Amasya. Giving 1927 as the year Amasya Station entered service rests on this opening.

Amasya Station

Amasya Station stands on the Samsun-Kalın line, on İstasyon Street in the Hızırpaşa neighbourhood of the city centre. It was built by the State Railways and Ports Administration and entered service in 1927. Along the line it lies about 134 kilometres from Samsun and about 261 kilometres from Sivas. The line diagram places the station at about kilometre 133 from Samsun; the small difference between the two figures may depend on whether the measurement is taken from the building itself or from a point on the line. The neighbouring station towards Samsun is Boğazköy, and towards Sivas it is Kayabaşı. Because the station is in the middle of the city, most hotels are within walking distance; the bus terminal is about five kilometres away.

The sources differ on the building. The station was opened to traffic in 1927, but it is also written that construction of the station building began in 1927 and was finished in 1932, the year the line was completed. If so, the station may have operated in simpler structures in the first years, and the building known today may have been completed later. This is a possibility inferred from the wording of the sources and has not been confirmed by a document.

The station building carries the features of the First National Architectural Movement, common in the early years of the Republic. The structure is symmetrical. Through the entrance called the Crown Gate, one enters a pointed-arched doorway two storeys high, and traditional motifs are used above the opening. Inside is a waiting hall two storeys high, and wings of equal length extend from either side of the entrance. On the ground and first floors of these wings, six pointed-arched windows are lined up along the same axis. At the ends of the wings are two separate masses that give the building its form. Some rooms next to the waiting hall were set aside for State Railways services.

The station has one side platform and one island platform, and six tracks. It is at grade, meaning passengers reach the platform at the same level as the rails. Within the provincial borders the line has two stations proper, Amasya and Hacıbayram, as well as stations and halts such as Kızılca, Kayabaşı, Eryatağı, Boğazköy and Suluova. In this way the railway tied into the transport network not only the provincial centre but also the surrounding districts and villages. About 98 kilometres of the line pass through Amasya's territory.

A photograph is known of Atatürk inspecting the station on 18 September 1928. This date falls about ten months after the opening. The sources available to us give no further information on the programme or the talks of the visit.

Stations Within Amasya's Borders

The line enters the Amasya provincial border at about kilometre 96 from Samsun. After Havza the first station is Hacıbayram (about kilometre 100), followed by Suluova (about 106), Boğazköy (about 120) and Çeltek (about 123). Amasya Station lies at about kilometre 133. Towards Sivas come Eryatağı (140), Kayabaşı (146), Ovasaray (150) and Kızılca (153) in turn, and the line reaches the Tokat border at about kilometre 161. Because the sources give the kilometre values in rounded form, they are likewise reported here as approximate. The line has 39 stations in all and runs as a single track of standard gauge (1,435 millimetres) from Samsun to Kalın.

Today the Samsun-Amasya regional train calls at stations such as Havza, Hacıbayram, Suluova and Boğazköy; one of the stops of the Amasya-Havza train is also Kurnaz. That the section of the line within the province is equipped with stops at such frequency shows that the railway is a transport artery not only for the provincial centre but also for the surrounding settlements.

Around the station building lie the 12 Haziran Stadium, the Amasya Sports Hall and the Kurtboğan Mosque. The station belongs to TCDD (Turkish State Railways), and passenger services are run by TCDD Taşımacılık.

Effects on the City's Economy

The arrival of the railway bore directly on Amasya's economy. Sugar beet, apples and other agricultural products could now reach markets faster and more cheaply. Because the line also passes through Suluova, the transport of raw materials and products for the sugar factory there could use the railway. The connection with the port of Samsun made it easier for products to reach the sea and for imported goods to reach the valley. For passengers the train became a safe and comfortable option used by students, merchants and soldiers. The station itself became a meeting point in the city's daily life, the place where these journeys began and ended.

It is also emphasised that the line forms a strategic link in the railway connection between the ports of Samsun and Mersin, joining the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. This connection shows that the freight traffic passing through Amasya carries meaning not only regionally but on a national scale.

Modernisation and Reopening

With time the infrastructure of the line aged. On 29 September 2015 the Samsun-Sivas line was closed to traffic for renewal and modernisation works. The project, which also drew on European Union grant funds, is cited as Turkey's largest railway modernisation investment of its day, at about 350 million euros, of which about 153 million euros was covered by grants. During the works all the old rails were removed, the infrastructure and superstructure were rebuilt from the ground up, and 183 new switches were installed. In addition, 121 level crossings were made safe, and one road overpass, six pedestrian overpasses and one pedestrian underpass were built. The 12 existing tunnels were improved, and 19 passenger halts, 30 technical buildings and 1,012 culverts were constructed. All the historic bridges were restored, 17 of them also strengthened, while 37 bridges were demolished and rebuilt. For disabled passengers 14 lifts were installed in the underpasses and overpasses, ramps and tactile markings were added at the halts, and the signalling and telecommunications facilities were renewed.

The sources show small differences in the figures. The total of restored historic bridges is given as 42 in some texts and 43 in others. The length of the renewed line is also cited with figures varying between 378 and 431 kilometres; this difference may stem from whether branch lines are counted.

At the end of the renewal the travel time between Samsun and Sivas fell from 8 hours 50 minutes to 5 hours 45 minutes. The line's annual freight capacity rose by 50 per cent, from 2 million tonnes before renewal to 3 million tonnes. The first commercial test train set out on 3 May 2020 and test runs began as of 4 May 2020; the Amasya Governorate announced on 5 May 2020 that the first freight train run had taken place. The infrastructure and superstructure of Amasya Station were also renewed, and the station returned to service on 1 November 2020. The official opening of the line took place on the same date.

The line reopened first for freight, and passenger trains had to wait a little longer. Passenger services between Amasya and Samsun and between Amasya and Havza resumed on 21 June 2022, after a gap of about seven years, at a ceremony attended by the governor and TCDD Taşımacılık officials. According to the governor, the line had by then been carrying freight for about two years, and the start of passenger services soon had been announced during the minister's visit in April. At the outset one return service a day ran between Amasya and Samsun and three between Amasya and Havza. In his speech the governor stressed that the Samsun-Sivas line is one of the first railway lines in the history of the Republic and that until 2015 Amasya was an important centre of freight and passenger transport on it. The Samsun-Sivas regional train began running only on 27 April 2023. Today the Samsun-Amasya train runs one return service every day, and the Amasya-Havza train three return services every day. The Samsun-Sivas train runs three days a week: it leaves Samsun on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday and Sivas on Thursday, Saturday and Monday, and the journey takes about eight hours on average. The Samsun-Amasya service takes about three hours five minutes. Amasya Station is a stop on all three services.

Chronology

1924: According to some sources, the foundation of the Samsun-Sivas line was laid (21 September).

1926: The year construction of the line began; the Samsun-Kavak section entered service.

1927: The Kavak-Kayabaşı section was completed; on 21 November the Havza-Amasya-Samsun line and Amasya Station were opened to traffic.

1928: The Kayabaşı-Zile section entered service; on 18 September Atatürk inspected the station.

1929: Responsibility for construction of the line passed to the General Directorate of State Railways.

1930: The Zile-Kunduz section entered service.

1932: The Kunduz-Kalın section opened (15 December) and the whole line entered service. Construction of the station building is also recorded as completed this year.

2015: The line was closed on 29 September for modernisation.

2020: First freight runs took place in May; on 1 November the line and Amasya Station reopened.

2022: On 21 June Amasya-Samsun and Amasya-Havza passenger services resumed.

2023: On 27 April Samsun-Sivas passenger services began.

Sources

Official sources

  • T.C. Amasya Valiliği, "Modernizasyon çalışmalarıyla yenilenerek hizmete açılan ve Amasya'dan da geçen Samsun-Sivas demiryolu hattında ilk yük treni seferi gerçekleştirildi", 5 May 2020. amasya.gov.tr
  • T.C. Amasya Valiliği, "Amasya-Samsun ve Amasya-Havza Arası Demiryolu Yolcu Seferleri Başladı", 21 June 2022. amasya.gov.tr

Other sources

  • Articles on Amasya Station and the Samsun-Kalın railway (Wikipedia). tr.wikipedia.org
  • Evci, Nagihan. "Amasya Tren Garı." Online Türkiye Turizm Ansiklopedisi, 2020. turkiyeturizmansiklopedisi.com
  • Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Nafıa Vekâleti Devlet Demir Yolları, "Samsun-Sivas Demiryolu Amasya İstasyonu'nun İşletmeye Küşadı", 21 Teşrinisani 1927 (transcription by Resul Babaoğlu).
  • Özkaya, Yücel (supervisor). Atatürk Döneminde Yapılan Karayolları, Barajlar ve Limanlar (1923-1938). Ankara University Institute of Turkish Revolution History, 2005, pp. 251-266.
  • Article on Nuri Demirağ (Wikipedia). tr.wikipedia.org