The railway has made a significant contribution to the development of the city of Mersin, which has a port that enables Turkish industrial and agricultural products to be shipped to foreign markets. Sea and rail connections make this city very strategic for logistics. However, in spite of the importance of cargo shipments, the passenger train station is quite humble.

The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century caused many cities to grow rapidly and enabled new cities to be founded. New cities formed around industrial facilities and were often founded near ports and railway lines due to increased demand for foreign trade.

The Industrial Revolution did not reach the Ottoman Empire, so there no industrial cities were developed in its borders. However, new port cities were founded for the transport of agricultural products, which were purchased as raw materials for the factories being built in western countries. The development of Mersin is the most striking example of this dynamic.

Although archeological remnants show that it has been inhabited since prehistoric times, Mersin was only the size of a village until the middle of the 19th century. Mersin’s fate was changed first by cotton and then by a port and a railway. During the worldwide shortage of cotton that occurred during the American Civil War, cotton began to be grown in the Çukurova plains. When the railway reached the region in 1866, Mersin rapidly became a port and a commercial center where agricultural products were exported.

The railway reaches the ports
Mersin Port was connected to the railway at a relatively early date. The 67-kilometer long Adana-Mersin railway was built by the English and began operation in 1886. In 1903, the construction and operation rights for the Anatolia-Baghdad railway was purchased and then taken over by the Germans.

When the existing line was connected with the Baghdad line coming to Yenice Station from Konya, Mersin Port became even more important.

A small passenger station The railway has had an important role in Mersin’s economy. However, the passenger station is surprisingly small and humble. The first building at Mersin Station was constructed in 1886 and is similar to the other six stations built by the English on the Adana-Mersin line. The station was constructed completely from stone materials, but was not large enough to handle the volume after Turkey became a Republic and a new		Mersin Train Station
station was constructed 100 meters beyond the old building in 1955. Constructed from old hewn stone, the new railway station was larger than the old one, but was still a very humble building. The palm tree in front of the station building exudes the warm, friendly atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
The importance of logistics will continue to increase It is not known whether Mersin Station will be replaced by a larger, more modern building in order to handle more passengers, but it is certain that the railway will only continue to become more important for the city. That is because the rapid increase in Turkish industrial production and foreign trade has made Mersin Port  even more  important  than  in the past.		Train station surrounded by palm trees
The  railway  provides  the most important economic connection between the port and the surrounding provinces. Mersin has always been Çukurova's gateway to the sea, but it will continue to be one of the largest ports on the Mediterranean because of the Mersin Free Trade Commercial Zone where 250 companies do business, the Ataş Refinery and a large interior region that is home to industrial cities like Konya, Kayseri and Gaziantep. Since Mersin Port was privatized in April of 2007, it is expected that its capacity will increase further with new investment.

Sources:
• Mersin İstasyonu Tarihi, Turkish State Railway Archives
• Tanzimat Sonrası Osmanlı Mimarlığından Bir Kesit: Adana-Mersin
Demiryolu İstasyon Binaları, Mustafa S. AKPOLAT, Hacettepe Üniversitesi
Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 2004 / Vol: 21 / No: 1 / pp. 77-93

We would like to thank the TCDD Directorate of the Press and Public Relations for their support with photographs and archived information.