Istanbul mayor announces eight new metro lines

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş announced on April 20 that eight new metro lines along with a pedestrian sub-sea tunnel are planned to be built in his third term, which he described as his “master term.” 

While submitting the 2015 Action Report to the municipal council, Topbaş spoke about his plans for his third term.  

“We have allocated a great part of our investments into transportation and we gave priority to the metro,” said Topbaş, adding that the preparations for eight separate rail systems totaling 100 kilometers in length had been completed and that they would go out to tender in a month.

According to the project, rail systems routes will include: Yenіdoğan-Çekmeköy-Sultanbeylі; Pendіk-Kaynarca-Tuzla; Bağcılar-Kіrazlı-Halkalı; Göztepe-Ataşehіr-Ümranіye; Emіnönü-Alіbeyköy; Sefaköy-Başakşehіr; Başakşehіr-Kayaşehіr and Mahmutbey-Esenyurt, along with Beşіktaş-Sarıyer; Üsküdar-Beykoz and Ayazağa-İstіnye lines. 

“With funicular, we are going from Etiler to the Asian sea-side. Istanbul is going toward 1000 kilometers of metro in the future,” said Topbaş, who also talked about the Ataköy-İkіtellі and Bostancı-Dudullu metro lines, which are currently under construction. 

Topbaş also touched upon the sub-sea tunnel planned to be laid under the Bosporus Straight between Üsküdar and Kabataş. 

“A person who gets off the metro in Üsküdar will be able to go to the Kabataş metro station with moving walkways without going to the surface,” said Topbaş.