Funded by the German government, this railway station was built in the first decade of the 20th century as the İstanbul stop for a planned Berlin to Baghdad railway service. The station building was designed by German architects, but the lovely tile-adorned station iskele (ferry dock) was designed by noted Turkish architect Vedat Tek.
The station opened in 1908 and functioned as the main terminus for Asian railway services until it was badly damaged by fire in 2010. Left to deteriorate, it was placed on the World Monument Fund's international watch list of endangered buildings and many locals feared that it would be demolished or unsympathetically redeveloped. In 2016, after much public discussion of its future, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced that the building would be restored and remain a train station, becoming the terminus of the İstanbul–Ankara fast-train line.
At the time of research, restoration works were underway, as were archaeological excavation works in and around the station area.