İzmir metro has the highest efficiency

While comparing efficiencies of rail systems of cities, we’d like to go deeper and compare different rail systems with different speeds and capacities. Underground metros can reach to down centers and have high capacity. On the other hand, tram lines usually share lanes with other cars, cross pedestrian zones. They are shorter and slower.

In 5 Turkish cities, there are metro lines. In İzmir, 20-km-long metro is used by 100 million pax in 2019, which takes the city to the top of the list. Metro is only one line, but has good integration with trams and suburban line.

Bursa is 3rd on the list with 39-km-long surface metro.

İstanbul trams are like metro

İstanbul trams should be categorized differently among all tram lines. Ridership in one İstanbul tram is 140 million and 60 million in another. Other two cities with high ridership are Eskişehir (20 million pax in 7 lines) and İzmir (37 million pax in 2 lines).

In İstanbul, T1 line carries 140 million passengers, where one tram arrives at the station while other leaves.

İzmir’s new two tram lines are second in the list. Though they are new, they carried 37 million pax.

Kayseri and Kocaeli right comes after İzmir.

Marmaray is far ahead among suburban services

Marmaray had reached a huge ridership very fast and was at the top of the list since then. However, the first phase was like a short metro line, connecting two sides of İstanbul, thus it was unfair to compare with other suburban trains.

However, when second phase, Gebze-Halkali was opened, it became a real suburban service with 77 km length connecting two sides of İstanbul. This year, it really deserved first place. Marmaray carried 1.6 million passenger per km.