Ulukent is a railway station on the ðzmir-Afyon railway, in Menemen, ðzmir. Located along the D.550 highway, it is a station on the ðZBAN commuter rail system. The station is within the Central line of the ðZBAN network, with trains running north to Menemen and AliaÃÂa; and south to Alsancak, Cumaovasñ and Tepeköy.
Ulukent station was originally opened on 10 October 1865, by the Smyrna Cassaba Railway, with the opening of their railway from Basmane to Manisa. In 1934, the Turkish State Railways bought the railway, as part of the government's nationalization program. A second-track was added to Ulukent in 1995, when TCDD extended its double-track section from ÃÂiÃÂli to Menemen to connect to the newly built Menemen-AliaÃÂa railway. Ulukent remained as a stop on the line until 1999, when plans to expand the station as part of the new AliaÃÂa-Menderes railway corridor were put forward. The station was electrified in 2002 and an island platform and overpass was completed in 2004. The station was then serviced by regional and some intercity trains to AliaÃÂa, Uà Âak, Afyonkarahisar, Bandñrma and Ankara.
Ulukent became the northern rail head in ðzmir in 2008, due to the construction of the KarÃÂñyaka railway tunnel. Train service from Basmane station was originally truncated back to ÃÂiÃÂli on 25 February 2006 and in 2008 truncated further north to Ulukent. During this period, all trains on the railway terminated at the station, with TCDD offering express bus service to stations within ðzmir. During this period, a second platform was added to service the north track, which also acted as a layover track for TCDD trains. In anticipation for new commuter rail service, turnstiles and PIS boards were added. With the completion of tunnel, TCDD resumed train service to central ðzmir on 19 May 2010, but most trains still stopped at Ulukent. On 29 October 2010, ðZBAN began testing on the line, running trains from Halkapñnar to AliaÃÂa, via Ulukent. Finally on 30 January 2011, regular commuter rail service began. Due to high demand, service frequency was increased on 15 May 2011 from hourly to half-hourly. With the opening of the system, intercity trains bypassed the station, with only the ðzmir to Uà Âak regional continuing to stop there for a few more years.
Ulukent had the last grade crossing on the central ðZBAN system until 2013, when a bridge was built over the railway.
ESHOT operates regional bus service, accessible from the station.