The historic Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci stations are being evacuated.

In a statement made in front of Haydarpaşa Train Station by the United Transport Workers Union ( BTS ) and Haydarpaşa Solidarity , it was stated that the 117-year-old station has been rendered dysfunctional by capital-focused projects, adding, “Our public spaces are being occupied under the guise of culture and art.”

"They are occupying under the guise of culture and art"

Haydarpaşa Solidarity activist Ayşen Dönmez, speaking at Haydarpaşa Train Station as part of the market protests that have been going on for 704 weeks, stated that the stations have been effectively evacuated.

"Since the AKP came to power, it has been attacking our living spaces. It is trying to seize our train stations, squares, and ports. The Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci train stations were transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2024. This is a politically biased protocol," Dönmez said, arguing that the practices carried out under the guise of culture and arts projects are mere window dressing.

Ayşe Dönmez , emphasizing that train stations, squares, and ports are what make cities what they are, noted that not a single station building has been left in Istanbul . Dönmez said, “Now they are evacuating our buildings, demolishing our workplaces, service buildings, and replacing them with their own construction. Under the guise of culture and art, they have seized and occupied our train stations.”

BTS Headquarters Manager Hasan Bektaş also recalled the years-long resistance against the conversion of Haydarpaşa Train Station into a capital-oriented facility, saying:

For years, we've been saying, 'Haydarpaşa is moving.' It moved this week. The evacuation of the station isn't a cultural project; it's the liquidation of public property. The fact that the Minister of Culture owns a tourism company also illustrates this situation. The priority isn't culture, but profiteering.

Bektaş also reacted to the State Opera and Ballet General Manager Tan Sağtürk 's statements about the station, saying, "If he's excited, he should come and see the excitement we're experiencing here." "He's committing a crime."

Aydın Yıldız, Secretary of BTS Istanbul Branch 1 , stated that the evacuation of the stations is part of a political transformation that excludes everyone from railway workers to the public. He said, “Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci stations are public spaces based on transportation. Now they want to destroy this memory. With projects like 'AKM 2,' the right to the city is being usurped, the stations are being rendered dysfunctional, and railway workers are being exiled.”

Yıldız stated that none of the projects initiated in the areas taken over by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for 29 years were in the public interest, saying, "Train tracks are being dismantled, housing units are being evacuated, tea shops are being closed. This is an occupation."

In the statements, it was stated that the lawsuits filed against Haydarpaşa and Sirkeci stations were continuing and that the practices carried out without waiting for court decisions were a crime against the city and humanity.