Istanbul transit grows with new rail channels

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Transportation Minister Yıldırım talks to reporters during the Marmaray project ‘s construction which will connect the metro lines on the Asian and European sides.

Istanbul’s new M4 metro line opened for use yesterday. It runs a 26-kilometer, 16-station route between Kadıköy and Kartal, on the city’s Asian side.

Istanbul currently has five metro, three tram, two suburban train, two funicular and two cableway lines, according to information gathered from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality website. The city’s M1 metro line is 19.6 km long and lies between the Aksaray district and Atatürk Airport. It has 18 stations. The M2 line is 16.5 km between Şişhane and Hacıosman, with 13 stations, and the M3 line is 15.9 km in length, running between Başakşehir and Olimpiyatköy, with 11 stations.

The city’s tram services include the T1 Kabataş-Bağcılar Tramway line, which is 18.5 km long and has 31 stations; the T3 Kadıköy-Moda Nostalgic Tramway, at 2.6 km and 10 stations; and the the T4 Topkapı-Habibler tram line, at 15.3 km and 22 stations. The F1 funicular line connects Taksim and Kabataş. The Maçka-Taşkışla and Eyüp-Piyerloti gondola lines lift passengers to the city’s high points. Apart from the railway system, a metrobus line connects Söğütlüçeşme on the Asian side to with Beylikdüzü in European Istanbul.

Future plans

The Marmaray project, the Bosphorus undersea railway tunnel, will connect the metro lines on the Asian and European sides of the city. Its projected opening date is Oct. 29, 2013. After the full integration of the Marmaray tunnel with the metro, metrobus, tram and sea bus systems, it will take 55 minutes to travel from Kartal to Kadıköy, and 81 minutes from Kartal to Atatürk Airport; 9 minutes from Üsküdar to Yenikapı; 54 minutes from Başakşehir to Üsküdar; 45 minutes from Üsküdar to Atatürk Airport; 43.5 minutes from Taksim to Atatürk Airport; 66 minutes from Kartal to 4. Levent; and 33 minutes from Yenikapı to Hacıosman, according to the municipality’s projections.

Six additional metro lines are still being built. A metro line is being built between Şişhane and Yenikapı, which will also be connected to Aksaray by a 700-meter mini-metro. On the Asian side an 18 km line will connect Üsküdar with Ümraniye.