Istanbul LRT
Encyclopedia
M2 (İstanbul Metro)
The M2 is a rapid transit service of the İstanbul Metro. It is colored green on station signs but colored blue on the official map. It runs underneath the north-south Büyükdere Avenue. The M2 starts at Hacıosman near Sarıyer and ends at Şişhane in Beyoğlu. There is a shuttle which services a branch...
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The Istanbul LRT (Hafif raylı sistem or Hafif Metro (Light Metro) in Turkish), which consists of the M1 and T4 lines, is a light metro
Medium-capacity rail transport system
In rail transport, a medium-capacity system is a non-universal term coined to differentiate an intermediate system between light rail and heavy rail. The concept is similar to Light Metro, seen in European countries...
system in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
with a total length of 32 km (10.4 km underground.) There are 36 stations, including 12 underground and 3 viaduct stations. The lines are totally segregated from other traffic, without level crossings. 114 train sets transport 320,000 passengers a day. The investment cost US$ 700 million.
History
The first line began service on September 3, 1989 between Aksaray and Kartaltepe. On December 18, 1989, the line was extended to Esenler, but at that time the Otogar (Intercity Bus Station) was omitted. The Otogar station was opened on January 31, 1994. Following this, the Terazidere, Davutpaşa, Merter, Zeytinburnu and Bakırköy stations were opened in the same year. Ataköy (Şirinevler) and Yenibosna stations were opened in 1995, when the length of the line reached approximately 16 km. In 1999, a station between Atatköy and Bakırköy, the Bahçelievler station, was opened. Finally, the line was completed on December 20, 2002, through an extension to the World Trade Center and Atatürk Airport in YeşilköyYesilköy
Yeşilköy is a neighborhood of the Bakırköy municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.It is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometers west of Istanbul's historic city center...
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Vehicles
Since this line is the oldest modern rail line in İstanbul, it has aged vehicles which were produced by ABB in 1988. The vehicles reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h with an acceleration rate of 0.7 m/sec.Stations
- Havalimanı (Atatürk International AirportAtatürk International AirportAtatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...
): The station is closer to the International Terminal. Requires a lot of walking way to the Domestic Terminal, but there are travelatorsMoving walkwayA moving walkway or moving sidewalk is a slow moving conveyor mechanism that transports people, across a horizontal...
. - Dünya Ticaret Merkezi: EXPO and World Trade Center
- Yenibosna
- Ataköy - Şirinevler
- BahçelievlerBahçelievlerBahçelievler is a large middle class residential suburb of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It is accessible from the E-5 Highway that runs from the Istanbul airport to the Asian side of the city, covers 5% of Istanbul's land area and is home to over 570,000 people...
- Bakırköy - İncirli
- Zeytinburnu: This station is an interchange station. Passengers may change the vehicle to T1 (to the Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Eminönü and Kabataş) and T2 (to Bağcılar).
- Merter: A viaduct station on D-100 transit road. Here passengers may interchange to the Metrobus line (Söğütlüçeşme-Avcılar).
- Davutpaşa
- Terazidere
- Otogar/EsenlerEsenlerEsenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar...
: Intercity Bus Station. Passengers may switch to another destination from Esenler by bus. - Kartaltepe - Kocatepe - Forum İstanbul
- Sağmalcılar
- Bayrampaşa - Maltepe
- Topkapı - Ulubatlı
- Emniyet - Fatih: Istanbul Central Police Department
- Aksaray: Passengers may interchange to T1 again here as well.
Future extensions
The initial plan is to extend the line from AksarayAksaray
Aksaray is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital district of Aksaray Province. According to 2009 census, population of the province is 376 907 of which 171,423 live in the city of Aksaray. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest...
to Yenikapı
Yenikapi
Yenikapı is a port and a neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula....
, where it will connect with the Istanbul Metro
Istanbul Metro
The Istanbul Metro, or the M2, is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 2000, it now includes 13 stations. The system currently consists of a single north-south line...
, the Seabus
Ido
Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...
ferry port, and with the Marmaray tunnel. Construction works are scheduled to be completed in 2009. When completed, passengers will be able to take the Seabus to the other ferry ports on the Asian side, like Bostancı, Kadıköy and Kartal; as well as other cities on the Marmara Sea shore such as Bursa, Bandırma, Yalova, etc. When the Marmaray project and the M1 line's extension across the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
will be completed, passengers will be able to interchange to the north of the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
and to the Asian side across the Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
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As a secondary plan, the line will be connected to another metro line which is heading to the İkitelli industry area and to Başakşehir. The project is still running.
Another metro line is planned to reach Beylükdüzü and TÜYAP, a huge fair site where the annual CeBit Eurasia Informatics Fair takes place.
History
The other line was opened in 2007 between Edirnekapi and Mescid-i Selam. The line was originally planned as a tram line (hence the name T4), but since a 5 km-part of the line had to be built underground, it was later classified as a light rail transit line.Vehicles
The vehicles are high-floor and bulky tramways which are very similar to M1's vehicles.Stations
- Topkapı
- Fetihkapı
- Vatan
- Edirnekapı
- Şehitlik
- Demirkapı
- Topçular
- Rami
- Uluyol/Bereç
- Sağmalcılar
- Bosna/Çukurçeşme
- Ali Fuat Başgil
- Taşköprü
- Karadeniz
- Metris
- Cumhuriyet Mah.
- 50.Yıl/Baştabya
- Hacı Şükrü
- Yeni Mah.
- Sultançiftliği
- Cebeci
- Mescid-i Selam
- Habibler
Note: The first, second, third and fourth stations were opened in March 2009.