The incident is the third reported PKK act of sabotage on Turkish railway lines since Thursday amid escalating violence in the country.
The train driver sustained light injuries in the explosion. It is estimated that 17 Iranian and three Turkish nationals were reported to be on the train at the time of the explosion. None of the passengers were reported to have been injured, although the train and the railroad track were damaged.
Security officers are said to be conducting an operation to track down and arrest the militants.
Later on Thursday, Kurdish militants tried to blow up a freight train in northeastern Turkey before opening fire on railway workers and security officers, resulting in the death of one of the workers.
Last week, Ankara launched an anti-terrorism campaign against Islamic State and PKK militants, in response to terrorist attacks conducted by the two groups.
On Saturday, the PKK said that Ankara "unilaterally terminated" their two-year ceasefire by carrying out airstrikes on the group’s positions in northern Iraq.
