The Marmaray project connecting Halkali to Gebze through Istanbul is commissioned today with a ceremony.
The ceremony for Marmaray project which connects Europe to Asia through Bosphorus tunnel for suburban trains, high speed trains and freight trains, started at 11:00 in Kartal with the participation of President Erdogan.
The suburban service will start tomorrow morning.
The passengers will be charged according to distance they traveled, similar to metrobus and Izban. On enterance the max fare will be charged. Refund will be possible on exits.
High speed trains will start service also tomorrow. HSTs will call at Bostanci, Sogutlucesme, Bakirkoy and Halkali.
The freight trains are not expected to start service on this line before summer.
Cover photo: Onur Uysal ©
Categories: Urban Transport
Rail Turkey En 
Dear Onur, do you know when Haydarpaşa Terminus will reopen for the YHT and when (or if) the Ada Ekspres, the Bosfor Ekspres and the regional trains to Kapıkule and Uzunköprü will start using the inner-city stations?
Does it really make sense to open Haydarpasa for HST? Which HST trains are going to stop there? Not all HST will cross the Bosporus?
See some answers at today’s post about HSTs and some others in Saturday’s post.
Opening of Marmaray seems to take at least a couple of months.. About your other questions, I am really curious as much as you.. 🙂
Will it be no stop somewhere closer to Sirkeci? Sirkeci or Yenikapi?
For HST of course.
No. You can use Marmaray to reach to Sogutlucesme from both stations.
You can use Marmaray to reach any other station. With this argument HST can go only to Pendik.
It’s not an argument, it’s a clue for travellers who are interested in this question. 🙂
Dear Onur, will the Sofia – Istanbul train now reach Sirkeci directly?
Hopefully.. No official statement until now. The renewal project of Sirkeci rail connection is cancelled last year.
So, the most probably is, that Sofia train will still depart from Halkalı?
Yet, yes. May be Sirkeci in the future.