Rail transportation is being used quite densly in Istanbul.

Last update: October 2020

Istanbul has the longest urban rail network in Turkey using metro, tram, suburban trains and funicullar systems together.

In last years, metro investments speed up in Istanbul, most of which are metro lines.

228 km rail network

Istanbul has the longest rail netork with 77 km suburban, 112 km metro, 38 km tram and 1 km funicular line.

1271 cars of fleet

Istanbul has a rolling stock fleet of 1271 cars. All except 440 suburban service cars are under control of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. 647 metro cars, 176 tram sets, 8 funicular cars.

• 440 Hyundai Rotem cars
• 647metro cars (160 Hyundai Rotem, 270 CAF, 112 Alstom, 105 ABB
• 176 tram sets (28 Hyundai Rotem, 37 Alstom, 55 Bombardier, 32 Duewag, 18 İstanbul Tram, 3 RTE, 6 Gotha)
• 8 funicular cars

722 more cars are already ordered.

731 mn pax

731 million passengers used rail transportation in Istanbul in 2018.

There’s a 112-km-long metro network in Istanbul, operating in 6 lines.

• M1 – Yenikapı-Airport/Kirazlı metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• M2 – Yenikapı-Hacıosman metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• M3 – Başakşehir-Olimpiyatköy metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• M4 – Kadıköy-Tavşantepe metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• M5 – Üsküdar-Ümraniye metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• M6 – Levent-Hisarüstü metro – operating hours: 06:00-00:00

All metro services except M3 run during weekends and bank holidays between 00:00-06:00 every 20 minutes.

Istanbul has the longest tram network with 38 km.

• T1 – Kabataş-Bağcılar tram – operating hours: 06:00-00:00
• T2 – İstiklal Street tram – operating hours: 07:00-23:00
• T3 – Kadıköy-Moda tram – operating hours: 07:00-21:00
• T4 – Topkapı-Mescidi Selam tram – operating hours: 06:00-00:00

Marmaray suburban train is the longest service (76.6 km long) and the only rail service between European and Asian sides of Istanbul (operating hours).

There are also 2 funicular systems in Istanbul, one of which was quite old.

• F1 – Taksim-Kabataş funicular – operating hours: 06:15-00:00
• F2 – Karaköy-Tünel funicular – operating hours

172 km under construction

Almost all new mass transport projects in Istanbul are metro. Currently 162 km is under construction.

• Gayrettepe-3rd Airport metro: Started in 2017. Kağıthane-Airport part is expected to be commissioned in 2021.
• Bakırköy-Kirazlı metro
• Çekmeköy-Sultanbeyli metro: The first three stations are planned to open in 2022.
• M7 – Kabataş-Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey metro (Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey phase): Started in Jan 2014. Announced to be commissioned in 2020.
• M7 – Kabataş-Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey metro (Kabataş-Mecidiyeköy phase): Started in May 2015. Expected to be commissioned in 2021.
• M10 – Pendik-Sabiha Gökçen metro (Hastane-S.Gökçen etabı): Being built by Transport of Ministry. Expected to be commissioned in early 2021.
• M10 – Pendik-Sabiha Gökçen metrosu (Pendik-Hastane etabı): Started in April 2017.
• Kaynarca-Tuzla metro: Started in April 2017. Expected to be commissioned in 2022.
• Dudullu-Bostancı metro: Started in February 2016. Expected to be commissioned in 2021.
• Ataköy-İkitelli metro: Started in February 2016. Expected to be commissioned partly in 2021, rest in 2nd half of 2022.
• Halkalı-Kirazlı metro: Started in April 2017. Yet 45% of the construction works are completed.
• Başakşehir-Kayaşehir metro: Started in April 2017. Expected to be commissioned in late 2021.
• Hastane-Yenidoğan metro: Started in April 2017. Works almost stopped.
• Göztepe-Ümraniye metro: Started in April 2017. Expected to be commissioned in 2022.

The only tram project in Istanbul is built along Halic (Golden Horn). It’s 10.1 km long.

• Eminönü-Alibeyköy tram: Started in November 2016. Cİbali-Alibeyköy part is expected to be commissioned in December 2020. The first 2 stations in Eminonu will later be commissioned.

Cover photo: Onur Uysal ©