[3][4] The railway will also serve as an extension of the Ankara-Istanbul HSR with a total journey time from Istanbul to Sivas at around 7 hours.

[5] In order to reduce travel time between Ankara and Sivas, TCDD undertook a survey for a new high-speed railway line in 2004.

Construction began in 2008 with some pauses in 2010 due to changes in the project.

When completed, the Ankara-Sivas journey time is expected to be reduced to 2 hours and 50 minutes compared with a previous travel time of 12 hours.

The line partially opened in February 2023, and other portions started service in the April of the same year.