Rapid transit in Turkey

Rapid transit in Turkey refers to the extensive network of urban rail systems serving major cities throughout the country. These systems play a crucial role in facilitating efficient and sustainable transportation, alleviating traffic congestion, and enhancing connectivity within urban areas. The rapid transit networks in Turkey consist primarily of metro, light rail, and tram systems, with ongoing expansions and developments aimed at meeting the growing transportation needs of its urban population.

Adana

Ankara

Bursa

Istanbul

İzmir

Konya

Mersin

Gebze

Gaziantep

Location of Metro systems. Blue dots indicate systems that are under construction

History

The history of rapid transit in Turkey dates back to the late 20th century when the first metro systems were introduced in Istanbul and Ankara. The Istanbul Metro, which opened its first line in 1989, marked the beginning of rapid transit development in Turkey. Over the years, various cities across the country have initiated their own rapid transit projects to address the increasing demand for efficient public transportation.

Current Systems

City	Name	Service opened	Last expanded	Stations	Lines	System length	Annual ridership (millions)
Adana	Adana Metro	2009	2010	13[1]	1	13.5 km (8.4 mi)[1]	14 (2011)[R 1]
Ankara	Ankara Metro	1997	2023[2]	57[3]	3	67.4 km (41.9 mi)[2][3]	158.5 (2023)[R 2]
Bursa	Bursaray	2002	2014	40[4]	2	40 km (25 mi)[4]	91.3 (2010)[R 3]
Istanbul	Istanbul Metro	1989[5]	2024[6]	146	11	243.3 km (151.2 mi)[7]	542 (2022)[R 4]
İzmir	İzmir Metro	2000[8]	2024[8]	24[8]	1	27 km (17 mi)[8]	100 (2019)[R 5]

Under construction

City	Name	Construction started	Projected opening	Lines	Stations	Length by first opening
Gebze	Gebze Metro	2018	2026	1	12	15.4 km (9.6 mi)
Konya	Konya Metro	2020[UC 1]	2025[UC 2]	1	22	21.1 km (13.1 mi)
Mersin	Mersin Metro	2022[UC 3]	2026	1	11	13.4 km (8.3 mi)

See also

• Transportation in Turkey
• List of metro systems

References

System references

1. "Metro Raylı Taşıma Sistemi – Adana Raylı Taşıma Sistemi – Adana Metrosu" [Metro Rail Transit System – Adana Rail Transit System – Adana Metro] (in Turkish). Adana Büyükşehir Belediyesi [Adana Metropolitan Municipality]. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
2. "Ankara's newest metro line expected to serve 50,000 a day". Daily Sabah. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
3. "General Directorate of EGO – The Subway Systems – Operated Rail System Lines". General Directorate of EGO. 29 August 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-23. Simply sum the lengths and number of stations on the operational lines to obtain the totals for the Ankara Metro.
4. "Bursaray Teknık Özellıkler" [Bursaray Technical Specifications] (in Turkish). Burulaş Bursa Ulaşım Toplu Taşım İşletmeciliği Turizm San. Ve Tic. A.Ş. [Burulaş Bursa Transportation Mass Transit Administration Tourism Industry. Ve Tic. Inc.] Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
5. "Timeline". Metro İstanbul A.Ş. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
6. "Gayrettepe-Kağıthane metrosu açıldı" (in Turkish). TRT Haber. 29 January 2024.
7. As for the latest length, please refer to website of public company https://www.metro.istanbul/en/ Archived 2 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine As for the size the system reached by the end of 2021, see "2021 Faaliyet Raporu" [2021 Annual Report] (PDF) (in Turkish). Metro İstanbul A.Ş. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-06. As for the latest extension, see "Istanbul opens metro Line M9". Metro Report International. DVV Media International Ltd. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
8. "Metro Bayrami" [Metro Festival] (in Turkish). İzmir Metrosu A.Ş. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 2019-12-04.

Ridership references

1. "Loading..." www.rayturk.net. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
2. Yilmaz, Murat (7 January 2024). "2023'te toplu taşıma" [Public transport in 2023]. Ankara Haberleri [Ankara News]. Hürriyet (in Turkish). Demirören Group. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
3. Bursa Büyükşehir Belediyesi Basın Koordinasyon Merkezi. "ÜnıversıteEtabinda Seferler Başliyor". bursa.bel.tr. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
4. "Istanbul Metro Passenger Statistics". www.metro.istanbul (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
5. "İzmir'de metro ve tramvay 2019'da 140 milyon yolcu taşıdı" [Metro and tram in İzmir carried 140 million passengers in 2019]. www.izmir.bel.tr (in Turkish). İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi [İzmir Metropolitan Municipality]. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-04.

Under construction system references

1. "Metro için ilk kazma vuruldu". 14 May 2020.
2. "Sino-Turkish consortium to build Konya metro".
3. "Mersin'e Metro Geliyor". Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

External links

• Urban rail systems in Turkey