Iran-Turkey Train Services Halted for Railroad Repairs
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s trains to Turkey and vice versa will be out of service for railroad repairs in Turkish country until further notice, Iran’s Railroad Company (Raja) announced on Tuesday.
Turkish authorities have declared that they are repairing the railroads between Mus and Tatvan and also between Ozalp and Kapikoy stations, Raja’s Public Relations office said Tuesday.
Therefore, the office added, train services between the two countries will be halted until further notice.
Tehran-Ankara and Tabriz-Van train services will resume once the Turkish side announces it has finished the repairs.
Back in July, two Iran-Turkey passenger trains were separately attacked by remotely detonated landmines, possibly planted by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.
Following the attacks Iran temporarily cancelled all trains to the Turkish capital, and the Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning against ground trips to the neighboring country.
“Given certain activities and recent insecurities in Eastern Turkey, the foreign ministry advises Iranian citizens who are going to head for Turkey to avoid ground routes until further notice,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.
The statement came after an attack by unknown gunmen on a bus carrying Iranian tourists in eastern Turkey killed one and injured three others.
The incidents come against the backdrop of renewed violence between Turkish forces and the PKK, whose elements have long been engaged in militancy in southeastern Turkey.
Turkey recently launched airstrikes allegedly against the PKK bases in northern Iraq as well as positions held by the Takfiri Daesh (ISIL) terrorists in Syria after a July 21 bomb attack that left 32 people dead in the southwestern town of Suruc.