TCDD-Turkish State Railways is a 168 years old public institution and infrastructure manager that is responsible with operation of railway lines in Türkiye. Primary function of TCDD is operating, widening and renovating railway lines that are under its governance. TCDD manages these all with 23 main departments, 4 consultant and controlling unit, 8 regional directorates, 1 Subsidiary (TCDD Taşımacılık AŞ) and 5 Affiliated companies (Ankara Railway Factory -within TCDD Taşımacılık AŞ, Ankara Maintenance Factory for Rail Welding and Track Mechanic Vehicles, Sivas Concrete Sleepers Factory, Afyon Concrete Sleepers Factory, Çankırı Switch Factory). Also, TCDD operates 2 big ports of our country (Haydarpaşa Port and İzmir Port) and conveys Van Gölü Ferryboat Operation.
TCDD carries out the following topics stated in its Main Charter: constructs railway infrastructure for high speed and rapid train transportation, operates railway infrastructure and manages railway traffic, makes the operation of port, pier, dock and ferries on the routes which are a follow-up of national railway infrastructure network, manufactures and operates all kinds of rolling stocks, materials and equipment required for railway infrastructure operation and ferry operation, directs its subsidiaries and affiliated companies and makes coordination among them in accordance with the laws, regulations and rules and within the framework of development and annual programs, undertakes railway construction works that are and will be carried out inside and outside the country alone or in partnership and performs the duties assigned by the Council of Ministers in relation to its field of activities.
TCDD provides employment for about 13.000 individuals in different areas. TCDD Training Department was established in 1981 for service coordination and vocational education at railways. The institution has been in operation for definition and planning of education needs for staff and for meeting these education needs of railway sector staff by its education centers in all over Turkey. Besides, TCDD provides apprenticeship/traineeship facilities for students in Vocational Schools and Vocational High Schools under National Education Ministry, also serves as expertise for these institutions. Most of the graduates of these schools have been employed by TCDD.
TCDD Training Department has 3 railway training and exam centers, 50 permanent teachers and 150 internal trainers, 100 classroom trainings and 50 online programs, 6 train simulators / 20 bench-type train simulators, traffic management center simulator, 3 conventional welding and rail welding training centers. TCDD has the capacity to give trainings total for 50,000 participants in an average of 1,000 programs per year. Test, standard and method trainings are provided through the Railway Research and Technology Center. It also coordinates the UIC – International Union of Railways- Middle East Training Center (Middle East Railway Training Center (MERTCe).
TCDD Training Department conducts training programs for executives, training programs for expertise development, basic and renewal of vocational training programs on infrastructure maintenance, operations, rolling stock, safety management systems, distant training modules, international trainings and it has cooperation with Turkish Vocational Qualifications Authority for certification.
TCDD website: https://www.tcdd.gov.tr/en/
Turkish Railway Academy: https://akademi.tcdd.gov.tr/
