Following the opening of the Marmaray commuter rail system in 2019, the Ankara Express was brought back, departing from Halkalı station.

Traveling along the southern shore of Istanbul, the Ankara Express stops at Bakırköy, before heading into the Marmaray Tunnel a few kilometers after.

On the Asian side, the Ankara Express exits the tunnel in Kadıköy and joins the Istanbul-Ankara railway[3] shortly after.

After a brief straight section of track through the Pamukova plain, the train winds through the Katırlı Mountains until reaching Bilecik, where it has a brief stop.

After Bilecik, the Ankara Express continues its climb through the Sündiken Mountains until reaching Bozüyük in the far west of the Central Anatolian Plains.

As dawn breaks, the train reaches the western outskirts of Ankara, entering Sincan in the early morning.