TNT History Archives: Once There Was a Railroad Station, in Fenerbahçe

Source: Turkish Railways Social Assistance Association

Fenerbahçe: A railroad station of the Haydarpaşa line, 

later eliminated.

In 1872, the Haydarpaşa-Izmit rail line became the second one in 

Anatolia, after the Izmir-Aydin line, and it was envisioned that it 

would link Istanbul to not only the rest of Anatolia but to the 

Baghdad Railway, as well.  The Haydarpaşa-Izmit line went into 

service on 3 May 1873, with stations at  Haydarpaşa, Kızıltoprak, 

Erenköy, Bostancı, Kartal, Pendik, Tuzla, Gebze, Diliskelesi, 

Tavşancil, Hereke, Darıca and Izmit.  Pendik was the last station 

for Istanbul commuters, with Feneryolu, Göztepe, Suadiye and 

Maltepe stations added later.  

The subject of this article is the Fenerbahçe rail station, which no 

longer exists.  Fenerbahçe was a favorite recreation spot during 

Ottoman times, right on the shore of the Sea of Marmara with 

plenty of greenery all around for picnicking and relaxation for 

families.   But it lacked direct rail service so people would have 

to get off the train at Kızıltoprak and walk down to Fenerbahçe.  

Consequently, at the request of Sultan Abdülaziz, a 1,756-meter 

long spur was built from the Feneryolu station, running across 

Bağdat Avenue and then following the road known today as 

Dr. Faruk Ayanoğlu Avenue to Fenerbachçe, where a two-story 

wooden station house was constructed – the Turkish Railways’s 

social facility still occupies this site, in the northeast corner of 

Fenerbahçe Point.    

The 1.8-kilometer spur went up a hill toward Feneryolu (Fener 

way), so named because it was the turning-off point to reach 

Fenerbahçe Point, requiring the locomotives to push the train 

from behind when heading north toward Feneryolu.  Barriers 

painted red and white,  stopped road and tramway traffic at 

crossing as the train passed along.  Special crossties were used, 

like those used in deserts that prevent the rails from sinking in 

the sand. 

Fenerbahçe station house was built by an Austrian firm and used 

as a station house in summer and as a police station in winter 

months.  During World War I, when an explosion of  ammunition 

being sent to the 4th Army in Palestine devastated Haydarpaşa in

1917, the Fenerbahçe station served as an alternative transport hub 

for supplies being sent to the war front and wounded soldiers 

coming from the Battle of Çanakkale in 1915 were received and 

tended to in houses in the Fenerbahçe neighborhood.  

On 13 November 1918, after the signing of the Mondros “Mütareke”

 (Armistice) that ended WWI for the Ottoman Empire, the Great 

Powers occupied Istanbul, with some English and French military 

authorities settling in Fenerbahce.  Subsequently, the Feneryolu-

Fenerbahçe rail spur was used solely for transporting ammunition 

and then shut down entirely until 1928, when it resumed service.  

However, in 1933 a tram began running in Fenerbahçe that 

obviated the need for the rail spur, so it was closed again.  

On 17 May 1936, though, the spur was activated to accommodate 

Atatürk’s visit to Fenerbahçe, for just that one day, after which it 

was shuttered for good.  There was talk of building a mansion in 

Fenerbahçe for Atatürk but he demurred, saying “building such 

a house for one person would be an exaggeration. Just let the 

people enjoy this place.”  The rails were finally torn up in 1970-

1971.

When the Anatolia-Baghdad Railroad was built in 1872, the station 

chiefs were usually either Armenians or Greeks.  And there was 

always a local grocery shop run by one or the other of these 

minorities. At the Fenerbahçe station there was the Tanas shop on 

one side and the Toma shop on the other.  The first station chief at 

Fenerbahçe was a Frenchman of English citizenship named Antuvan 

Efendi, who lived on the upper floor of the station house with his 

wife and daughters Katrin and Sofi.  The sounds of the girls speaking

French and playing classic music on the piano could be heard through 

the open windows in summer months, creating a pleasant ambiance 

around the station.   

Fenerbahçe Park, near where the station was, is now a favorite

spot for cats and the oldtimers they train to feed them.