Inauguration of new metro line in Istanbul

The Basaksehir-Kayasehir metro line was inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; this brings the total rail network of Istanbul to 325.5 kilometres, equating to over 200 miles.

The president, Erdogan, spoke at the opening of the metro station named “Kayasehir”, which was completed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry, which oversaw the project from the IBB, also known as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

More lines to follow

Erdogan also noted that the ministry had completed a total of 130 kilometres of metro lines in Istanbul alone, and it is continuing to work on an additional five more metro lines equalling 55 kilometres. The president noted that once the rail network has been completed in Istanbul, it will surpass 380 kilometres – it currently stands at 325 kilometres.

He continued to say that: “over 50% of Istanbul's rail network will have been completed by our Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. Some people only talk, some do. Some serve. We have never been like those who talk with no action, we are people of action.”

The metro line of Basaksehir to Kayasehir has added an additional four new metro stations to the rail network of Istanbul and has the capacity to carry one million passengers each day.

New destinations for the inaugurated line

Minister Adil Karaismailoglu explained that the trains have been designed to travel up to 80 kilometres in a single hour and can serve a total of 70,000 passengers each hour in a single direction. The new metro line of Basaksehir-Kayasehir will enable the connection of the rest of the city with Cam and Sakura City Hospital.

Quick times for speedy travel

The project has also allowed for the region to reach Istanbul Airport by the metro line. The travel time between Ozgurluk Square and Metrokent (Bakirkoy) is only 29 minutes, while the time between Metrokent and Istanbul Airport is 24 minutes.