Built in the first decade of the 20th century as Europe's gateway to the east, Istanbul Haydarpasa railway station stands proudly on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, its gothic towers looming over the waters.

In 2012, when the number of trains pulling in and out of the station had already dropped off, Haydarpasa – pronounced Haydarpasha and named after the neighborhood where it is located – was placed on the watch list of endangered heritage by the World Monuments Fund NGO.

Trains to come backHowever, Turkish architecture activists, local officials and Turkish State Railways (TCDD) told AFP that the station's future as a railway terminus was now assured after a period of uncertainty.

Once the station is reopened, it should be the terminus for the new high-speed trains from Ankara which are now stopping in Pendik, well outside the center, as well as again being a hub for commuter trains.

Orient ExpressHaydarpasa station – designed by two German architects – was inaugurated in its current form in 1909, five years before the outbreak of World War I.

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