The history of rail transport in Turkey began with the start of the placement in 1856 of a 130 kilometres (81 mi) railway line between İzmir and Aydın. The first finished^{[dubious – discuss]} Ottoman railway line was a 66 kilometres (41 mi) line between Köstence (today Constanţa, Romania) and Boğazköy (today Cernavodă, Romania) built in 1859–1860.

The state corporation that manages the Turkish railway system, Turkish State Railways, subdivides the history into the Pre-Republic period (Ottoman period), the Republic period (which extends from 1923 to 1950) and the period after 1950.^[1] During the first period, railways were built and operated by foreign concerns with permission from the state. In the second, the state took over its own railways and expanded them in support of Turkish financial interests. In the third period, attention turned from rail travel to highways, and the expansion of railways dramatically slowed.

During the period of the Ottoman Empire British, French and German concerns funded and ran private railways in Turkey having gotten permits to do so from the state.^[1]

During the Turkish War of Independence, the new breakaway government in Ankara held control over sections of railways located in central and southern Anatolia. In 1920, these were brought under the roof of Chemin de Fer d'Anatolie ("Anadolu Şimendiferleri" - distinct from "Ottoman Anatolian Railways") with its center in Ankara and administered by Behiç Erkin, the founding figure of modern Turkey's railway network and a colonel at the time. Erkin pursued his office as director general beyond the war during a crucial period that lasted until 1926, after which he was Turkey's minister for transports for two years.

In 1923, Turkish railways entered into what the Turkish State Railways term the "Republic Period", a "golden age" that lasted until 1950.^[1] During this time, the railways that had already been created were repurposed to serve Turkish financial interests, prioritizing industrial growth in such industries as iron, steel and coal.^[1] In addition to claiming existing lines, the Turkish government extended lines into the previously underrepresented Central and Eastern areas of Turkey to achieve near balance. Between 1935 and 1945, emphasis was placed on construction of junction lines, to improve industrial connectivity and also strengthen national defense. As a result, distance of travel between various points was significantly shortened.

During this period, the following main routes were constructed:^[1]

• Ankara-Kayseri-Sivas
• Sivas-Erzurum (Caucasus line)
• Samsun-Kalin (near Sivas)
• Irmak-Filyos (Zonguldak (coal line)
• Adana-Fevzipaşa-Diyarbakır (Copper line)
• Sivas-Çetinkaya (Iron line)

According to the Turkish State Railways, beginning in 1950 the railways of Turkey were ignored and neglected as focus turned to highways.^[1] In the early part of the period, the improvement of the roadway system was conceived to support the rail system, but instead of the coordinated building of both road and rail structures intended, railroad constructed slowed dramatically. In the 1980s, the national transportation plan "1983–1993 Transportation Interim Planning" was adopted with a goal in part of decreasing highway transportation share from 72% to 36%, but the plan was abolished in 1986 without implementation.^[1] In 2002, only 4% of freight transported in Turkey traveled by rail, and only 2% of passenger travel was conducted by rail.^[1]

• Kars to Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan^[3]

• TCDD Open Air Steam Locomotive Museum in Ankara
• Istanbul Railway Museum
• Çamlık Railway Museum
• Rahmi M. Koç Museum

• Orient Express
• Narrow gauge railways in Turkey
• Rail transport in Turkey
• Turkish State Railways