Kartal-Kadıköy subway line to improve transportation in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo

Dubbed the "world's fastest dig" the Kadıkoy-Kartal subway line will be opened for Istanbul residents during the Şeker Bayram holiday at the end of the month of Ramadan, private broadcaster NTV reported on its website.

The subway line will be the first line on the Asian side of Istanbul. The final test runs have been going on for the past eight months, and the line is now reportedly ready to operate.

The Kartal- Kadıköy line will add 80 kilometers to the already-existing subway network of Istanbul, raising the final reach to 103 kilometers.

The line will be capable of carrying 1.5 million passengers every day and will have 16 stops total.

The tunnel for the Kartal-Kadıköy line is known as the world's fastest dig. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan kicked off the construction of the tunnel in 2005.

Further plans for an additional line will reportedly connect the Kartal-Kadıköy line to Sabiha Gökçen Airport.