Eastern Turkey residents make snow train to attract Eastern Express
The Çıldır Municipality near the eastern border of Turkey wants the State Railways' Eastern Express to travel as far as Ardahan and have built a train model out of snow to show it. Çıldır Mayor Kemal Yakup Azizoğlu thinks that the touristic route reaching their city will prevent the out-migration from the easternmost district.
Duvar English
The municipality in the Çıldır district of eastern Ardahan wants the touristic Eastern Express run by Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to travel as far as their town as it reaches as far as the nearby city of Kars.
The Çıldır Municipality trasnported truckloads of snow to the banks of the frozen Çıldır Lake and constructed a model of a train with it to draw attention to their call.
Çıldır Mayor Kemal Yakup Azizoğlu thinks that the touristic route reaching Ardahan will prevent the out-migration from the easternmost district.
"For years, the cold has chilled us. From now on, we want to turn the snow into profit and warm up. For this, the Eastern Express is a must," Azizoğlu said.
Ardahan resident Ali Ekber Kahraman took photos of the model train and noted that many passengers who arrive in Kars with the train travel to Ardahan with their own means anyways.
"Çıldır, Ardahan and Kars are sister cities anyways," Kahraman said.