The scope, route, stops, targets, cars, ridership figures and history of Marmaray project, 1st phase of which was commissioned and 2nd is under construction and which will connect Asian and European side of Istanbul by rail via tunnel under Bosphorus:
Project overview
- Owner: Turkish State Railways
- Phases:
- Ayrılıkçeşme-Kazlıçeşme (13 km). The underground section under Bosphorus.
- Gebze-Ayrılıkçeşme (43 km) and Kazlıçeşme-Halkalı (19 km). The surface lines.
- Contractor:
- Tunnel pass construction and electromechanic: Taisei/Kumagei-Gama-Nurol
- Surface lines construction and electromechanic: OHL-Dimetronic
- Rolling stock: Hyundai Rotem
- Contract date:
- Tunnel pass construction and electromechanic: 5/2004
- Surface lines construction and electromechanic: 10/2011
- Contract deadline:
- Tunnel pass construction and electromechanic: 1/2009
- Surface lines construction and electromechanic: 6/2015
- Contract value:
- Tunnel pass: Jap.Yen 89.6 bn
- Surface lines: € 1.04 bn
- Rolling stock: € 520 mn
- Commission date: Bosphorus pass: 10/2013
Route
Stops/connections
Halkalı (Halkalı-Kirazlı metro) – Mustafakemal – Küçükçekmece (Metrobus) – Florya – Yeşilköy – Yeşilyurt – Ataköy (Ataköy-İkitelli metro) – Bakırköy (Bakırköy-Kirazlı metro) – Yenimahalle – Zeytinburnu – Kazlıçeşme – Yenikapı (Yenikapı-Hacıosman and Yenikapı-Atatürk Hava Limanı/Kirazlı metros) – Sirkeci (Kabataş-Bağcılar tram) – Üsküdar (Üsküdar-Ümraniye-Çekmeköy metro) – Ayrılıkçeşmesi (Kadıköy-Kartal metro) – Söğütlüçeşme (Metrobus) – Feneryolu – Göztepe (Göztepe-Ümraniye metro) – Erenköy – Suadiye – Bostancı (Bostancı-Dudullu metro) – Küçükyalı – İdealtepe – Süreyyaplajı – Maltepe – Cevizli – Atalar – Başak – Kartal – Yunus – Pendik (Pendik-Kaynarca metro) – Kaynarca – Tersane – Güzelyalı – Aydıntepe – İçmeler – Tuzla (Kaynarca-Tuzla metrosu) – Çayırova – Fatih – Osmangazi – Gebze (Gebze-Darıca tram)
Project details
Marmaray connects Europe and Asia by rail crossing Bosphorus via tunnel. Surface lines will be 3 lines, two of which are for suburban service and other line for high speed trains, other passenger trains and during night for freight trains. As project completed, high speed trains and passenger trains will arrive Haydarpaşa in Asian side.
- Line length: 76.6 km
- Travel time: 105 min
Targets
- 550 mn passengers annually
Rolling Stock
50 sets – 440 cars (Hyundai Eurotem)
Ridership
- 2014: 43.7 mn
- 2015: 60.9 mn
- 2016: 62.6 mn
- 2017: 63.1 mn
Cover photo: Onur Uysal ©
Categories: Railway Infrastructure
Rail Turkey En 
Very much enjoyed perusing your blog about Turkish railways — a subject about which I know little, unfortunately! But from what you’ve written and from the little I’ve read over the past year or so, Turkey is now an exciting place to be for the railway buff! The tunnel under the Straits linking Europe and Asia is a wonderful development, given that it brings rail freight transportation between China and Europe on step closer!
Once again, thanks for the update on these remarkable construction projects — projects that should shorten the distance between European and Asian railway networks!
I visited Istanbul in march 2015 and march 2017.
Using the line between Ayrılıkçeşmesi and Yenikapı several times I’m very impressed with the system.
Spacious trains, clean stations and cars and very affordable with the Istanbul kart.
About me: tram driver from Munich/Germany, discovering urban and suburban railway systems around the world.