Halkalı station () is the westernmost station on the Marmaray line as well as in Istanbul. The station also services regional trains to Edirne, Uzunköprü, Çerkezköy and international trains to Sofia. In summer, there may be through trains to Bucharest too. Halkalı station is from the Istanbul Sirkeci Terminal .
Overview The Halkalı logistics center and the old Halkalı electric train maintenance depot are located near the station. The station is next to Lake Küçükçekmece and services the population in north-central Küçükçekmece.
The terminal is the departure terminal for all freight trains to Europe and is an important container terminal, used by rail container lines IFB, Express Interfracht, Europe Intermodal and Metrans. It is possible that the Marmaray will eventually be extended to Ispartakule, which may cause further construction works and closures in the future.Uysal, Onur. "Halkali Opening may be Postponed", Rail Turkey, 25 September 2014Uysal, Onur. "What Will Happen in Turkish Railways in 2015?", Rail Turkey, 1 January 2015
As Halkalı is now surrounded by residential areas due to the growth of the city, its role as the main customs post for trucks to Europe is due to end, with trucks using the new Muratbey Customs Office (Muratbey Gümrük Müdürlüğü) in Çatalca instead.
Between July 2005 and February 2011 the Friendship Express, (an international InterCity train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and TrainOSE linking Istanbul's Sirkeci station, Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece) made scheduled stops at Halkalı.
Between 1991 and March 2013 the Balkan Express, (an international overnight InterCity sleeper train jointly operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD), Bulgarian State Railways (BDŽ), Serbian Railways (ŽS) and Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) linking Istanbul's Sirkeci station, Turkey and Budapest Keleti station, via Sofia, Bulgaria and Belgrade, Serbia, made scheduled stops at Halkalı.
On 20 June 2026, an extension of Istanbul Metro Line 11 from the station to the new Istanbul Airport opened, allowing passengers to reach the airport in 30 minutes.
Future services M1B of the Istanbul Metro is planned to expand to Halkalı.
Halkalı will be the future terminus of the Istanbul–Kapıkule railway heading west to the Bulgarian border, just west of Edirne. The railway has been under construction since 2019 and is expected to open in 2028.
References
Halkali Marmaray Duraklari