Istanbul modern tram
Encyclopedia
The modern tram of Istanbul is a modern tramway system of the European side of Istanbul, opened in 1990. Currently, it has two lines, one (T1) by low floor trams in the old center and the other (T2) a more outer area of Istanbul.
, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire
, once had a large tramway network on both Asian & European side. It first started as horse tram, & gradually changed to electric tram. Many routes were built step by step, and it reached their most widespread network in 1956 with 108 million passengers in 270 shuttles in 56 lines. But like most cities around the world during the sixties, the tram service began to close in 1956, and was completely stopped in 1966.
After closing the old tram network
in the mid 1960s, people of Istanbul thought the unfashionable obstacle of smooth city traveling had been removed, and the city can move faster than before, but it proved false some years later. Uncontrolled increasing of petrol vehicles like bus
, taxi
, and private car started choking the streets of Istanbul. For situating mostly in Asia, Turkey
suffered by many problems of developing countries, including pollution
, traffic jam, illegal migration
, low literacy
and high increasing of population
etc. Increasing population
started increasing urbanization
of Istanbul, and it started increasing motor vehicles, which started increasing air & sound pollution
, traffic jam & smog
. The city even became slower than pre-tram closure era. From starting '70, all this problems started and at mid '80, Istanbulians realized that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Due to constantly increasing traffic jam & air pollution, Istanbul became one of the most polluted Eurasia
n city during mid '80. Many cities around the world like Tunis
, Sydney
, Buenos Aires
etc. also understood that error, and like them, Istanbul also planned for return of tram.
Understanding the great mistake of former tram closure, the government started to decrease pollution as soon as possible, and also recover the bad image of Istanbul for tourists. Looking at many cities around the world i.e. - Pyongyang
, Buenos Aires
, Tianjin
etc., the authorities planned to restore trams in Istanbul. By then however, a number of cars & buses had already increased very much, so starting a completely new standard tramway was not possible at that time. Minding this, they planned an experimental heritage tramway, minding the lower installation cost, tourist attraction and testing mind of new generations of Istanbul, how they accept trams.
The heritage tram gained much popularity mainly among tourists, because it is slow moving, and typical for relaxed journey. But the inhabitants want such a tram, which can move fast, and could be used as mass transit for daily commuting. Some cities around the world already started reopening trams as a modern system. Istanbul's transport authority decided to open a separate, modern, high speed tram.
The modern tram started running in Istanbul in 1992, and soon became popular. It has gradually been extended.
low floor light rail vehicles were ordered for line T1. The got into service in 2004 on the T1 line, after lowering the platforms of the stations.
At first the modern tram line was served by high floor light rails. Then in 2004, it was replaced by low floor Bombardier trams.
Between 1992 & 2004, it was used by light rails. In 2004, it gets genuine trams. Rolling stock were made by Bombardier. All trams are low floor, fully air conditioned, can run high speed in reserve track. Each tram has two cars. In peak hours, such two trams are coupled to make a four coach long tram.
trams. All these Ex-Köln trams will be replaced by New Alstom low floor trams.
s. Part of the network is elevated, and a small part is unreserved. The system serves the older part of the city.
This route goes from the district of Zeytinburnu on the shore of the Sea of Marmara
northeast through the Byzantine
city walls at Topkapi (the Cannon Gate, not the palace), then eastward via Yusufpasa/Aksaray, then past the Grand Bazaar
(Kapali Çarsi) and along Divan Yolu to Sultanahmet—the Hippodrome
—the historic center of Old Ystanbul.
From Sultanahmet the tram continues north past Sirkeci station and Eminönü (ferry docks), across the Galata Bridge
over the Golden Horn
to Karaköy Square (Galata, starting-point for the Tünel
up to Beyoglu's Istiklal Caddesi), very near the Yolcu Salonu passenger ship dock.
From Karaköy the tram continues to Tophane, near the Ystanbul Modern Art Museum, then to Kabatas, with its "Sea Bus" catamaran ferry dock and Teleferik (funicular) to Taksim Square.
Recently, this route was extended more west up to Bagcilar.
The modern tramway was built following most part of the previous tramway, which was closed in 1962. The line from Kabatas to Topkapi was previously served by route 12, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34 (see Trams in Istanbul
). The Galata Bridge was also served by tram previously, although this bridge and other part of the former route was totally unreserved track, the present route is mostly on reserved track. On reserved part, rails are often raised like metro/suburban train to run fast, stops of those part has platforms, illuminate sheds, etc. All stops of the line has ticket counter & magnetic ticket gate (just like metro
). In most busy section, tracks are also elevated. the reserved/elevated track are has separate light system for looking more clearly & safely. In unreserved part, recently tracks were paved by tiles to look gentler. Some time tracks are laid on both side of the road, sometimes on either left or right side, some times on middle of a narrow street. On Galata Bridge, tracks are on middle and fully dedicated. In some stops, there are a staircase link from road over bridge to tram stop, to safely cross the road and take the tram.
There are also some other future plans. The line which is already approved by the municipality, but not opened for bidding yet is an Eminönü
-Alibeyköy extension (along the southern coast of the Golden Horn). In future, there will be a branch line from Zeytinburnu
to Bakırköy IDO University, from Kabatas
to Besiktas
& from Eminonu
to Bayrampasa
. This line may further run from Bagcilar
to Spor Satonu in future. There may be a new line from Kadikoy
to Bostancy (if it should build, it will follow the old route 4).
History
IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, once had a large tramway network on both Asian & European side. It first started as horse tram, & gradually changed to electric tram. Many routes were built step by step, and it reached their most widespread network in 1956 with 108 million passengers in 270 shuttles in 56 lines. But like most cities around the world during the sixties, the tram service began to close in 1956, and was completely stopped in 1966.
After closing the old tram network
Trams in Istanbul
Istanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire has three separate tramway systems. The Asian side has a heritage tram system, whereas the European side has both heritage tram & modern tram system....
in the mid 1960s, people of Istanbul thought the unfashionable obstacle of smooth city traveling had been removed, and the city can move faster than before, but it proved false some years later. Uncontrolled increasing of petrol vehicles like bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
, and private car started choking the streets of Istanbul. For situating mostly in Asia, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
suffered by many problems of developing countries, including pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, traffic jam, illegal migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
, low literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and high increasing of population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
etc. Increasing population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
started increasing urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
of Istanbul, and it started increasing motor vehicles, which started increasing air & sound pollution
Sound pollution
Sound pollution may refer to:* Noise pollution, displeasing or disruptive sound of human or machine origin* Sound Pollution...
, traffic jam & smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
. The city even became slower than pre-tram closure era. From starting '70, all this problems started and at mid '80, Istanbulians realized that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Due to constantly increasing traffic jam & air pollution, Istanbul became one of the most polluted Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n city during mid '80. Many cities around the world like Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
etc. also understood that error, and like them, Istanbul also planned for return of tram.
Understanding the great mistake of former tram closure, the government started to decrease pollution as soon as possible, and also recover the bad image of Istanbul for tourists. Looking at many cities around the world i.e. - Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
etc., the authorities planned to restore trams in Istanbul. By then however, a number of cars & buses had already increased very much, so starting a completely new standard tramway was not possible at that time. Minding this, they planned an experimental heritage tramway, minding the lower installation cost, tourist attraction and testing mind of new generations of Istanbul, how they accept trams.
The heritage tram gained much popularity mainly among tourists, because it is slow moving, and typical for relaxed journey. But the inhabitants want such a tram, which can move fast, and could be used as mass transit for daily commuting. Some cities around the world already started reopening trams as a modern system. Istanbul's transport authority decided to open a separate, modern, high speed tram.
The modern tram started running in Istanbul in 1992, and soon became popular. It has gradually been extended.
Timeline
- 1961 - The last tram ran at the European side on 12 January. Topkapi-Eminönü line was replaced by trolleybuses in 27 May. Six trams were transferred to the Asian side network.
- 1966 - The last tram ran at the Asian side on 3 October from KadiköyKadiköyKadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
to Kızıltoprak. Remaining trams were transferred to the transport museum.
- 1984 - Trolleybus service stopped on 16 July. By this all electric city transport of Istanbul was completely stopped.
- 1990 - Independence Avenue was closed to traffic. Tram returned as heritage system between TaksimTaksimTaksim was the objective of Turkish Cypriots who supported a partition of the island of Cyprus into Turkish and Greek portions, a concept declared as early as 1957 by Dr. Fazil Küçük...
and TünelTünelThe Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...
. Rolling stocks were same as pre 1966 tram, added name to this service as nostalgic tram.
- 1992 - By opening a completely separate tram system, tram returned as modern system. It started on the same alignment where tram last ran in 1956. The first service was started between Beyazit & Yusufpasa as T1. It was served by light rails.
- 2003 - Tram returned as heritage system in Asian side, following closed route 20 as a circular tramway. Rolling stocks were imported from GothaGotha (town)Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
- 2004 - T1 line's light rails were replaced by Bombardier trams.
- 2006 - T1 extends to more west, but as a separate line T2. Although both line's gauge are same, but T2 still uses light rails.
- 2007 - Another separate line opened, named T4, which also uses light rail.
- 2009 - Plans to replace all high floor ABB, Duewag & Rotem trams with Alstom Citadis low floor trams.
- 2011 - The first Alstom Citadis low-floor trams enter service.
Practical Info
- Total length - 28 Km
- Opened - 13 June 1992
- Operating hours - 5:30 A.M. to 12 Midnight
- Frequency - 2.5 to 15 minutes
- Fare - YTLYTLYTL may refer to:* The IATA code for Big Trout Lake Airport.* The abbreviation for New Turkish lira.* YTL Corporation, a Malaysian firm.* The York-Timbuktu Link...
1.50, for students: 0.85 YTL
Bombardier Flexity Swift
In summer 2001 55 Bombardier Flexity SwiftFlexity Swift
The Flexity Swift tram is a family of urban and inter-urban light-rail vehicles manufactured by Bombardier Transportation for a wide number of customers across Europe...
low floor light rail vehicles were ordered for line T1. The got into service in 2004 on the T1 line, after lowering the platforms of the stations.
At first the modern tram line was served by high floor light rails. Then in 2004, it was replaced by low floor Bombardier trams.
Between 1992 & 2004, it was used by light rails. In 2004, it gets genuine trams. Rolling stock were made by Bombardier. All trams are low floor, fully air conditioned, can run high speed in reserve track. Each tram has two cars. In peak hours, such two trams are coupled to make a four coach long tram.
Stadtbahn-B
This line T1 was further extended west to Bagcilar as line T2, which uses Ex - KölnKOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
trams. All these Ex-Köln trams will be replaced by New Alstom low floor trams.
Alignment
The modern tram routes mostly run on reserved trackReserved track
In tram transport terminology reserved track is track on ground exclusively for trams. Unlike track on streets and roads, reserved track does not need to take into account the transit of other wheeled vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists or horses...
s. Part of the network is elevated, and a small part is unreserved. The system serves the older part of the city.
This route goes from the district of Zeytinburnu on the shore of the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
northeast through the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
city walls at Topkapi (the Cannon Gate, not the palace), then eastward via Yusufpasa/Aksaray, then past the Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar may refer to:* Grand Bazaar, Esfahan* Grand Bazaar, Istanbul* Grand Bazaar, Kashgar* Grand Bazaar, Tehran* Grand Bazaar, Ürümqi...
(Kapali Çarsi) and along Divan Yolu to Sultanahmet—the Hippodrome
Hippodrome
A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...
—the historic center of Old Ystanbul.
From Sultanahmet the tram continues north past Sirkeci station and Eminönü (ferry docks), across the Galata Bridge
Galata Bridge
The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.-History:...
over the Golden Horn
Golden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
to Karaköy Square (Galata, starting-point for the Tünel
Tünel
The Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...
up to Beyoglu's Istiklal Caddesi), very near the Yolcu Salonu passenger ship dock.
From Karaköy the tram continues to Tophane, near the Ystanbul Modern Art Museum, then to Kabatas, with its "Sea Bus" catamaran ferry dock and Teleferik (funicular) to Taksim Square.
Recently, this route was extended more west up to Bagcilar.
Trams in Istanbul
Istanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire has three separate tramway systems. The Asian side has a heritage tram system, whereas the European side has both heritage tram & modern tram system....
). The Galata Bridge was also served by tram previously, although this bridge and other part of the former route was totally unreserved track, the present route is mostly on reserved track. On reserved part, rails are often raised like metro/suburban train to run fast, stops of those part has platforms, illuminate sheds, etc. All stops of the line has ticket counter & magnetic ticket gate (just like metro
Istanbul Metro
The Istanbul Metro, or the M2, is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 2000, it now includes 13 stations. The system currently consists of a single north-south line...
). In most busy section, tracks are also elevated. the reserved/elevated track are has separate light system for looking more clearly & safely. In unreserved part, recently tracks were paved by tiles to look gentler. Some time tracks are laid on both side of the road, sometimes on either left or right side, some times on middle of a narrow street. On Galata Bridge, tracks are on middle and fully dedicated. In some stops, there are a staircase link from road over bridge to tram stop, to safely cross the road and take the tram.
Future plans
There is a plan to replace light rails by true trams in T4. Then the route will be more extended.There are also some other future plans. The line which is already approved by the municipality, but not opened for bidding yet is an Eminönü
Eminönü
Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...
-Alibeyköy extension (along the southern coast of the Golden Horn). In future, there will be a branch line from Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu
Zeytinburnu is a working class neighbourhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Marmara Sea just outside the walls of the ancient city, beyond the fortress of Yedikule...
to Bakırköy IDO University, from Kabatas
Kabatas
Kabataş, formerly Karay, is a town and district of Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 20,644 of which 9,211 live in the town of Kabataş...
to Besiktas
Besiktas
Beşiktaş is a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and on the east by the Bosphorus...
& from Eminonu
Eminönü
Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...
to Bayrampasa
Bayrampasa
Bayrampaşa is a suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey on the European side of the city. The district comprises both working class residential and industrial areas. Population is 240,000 , and the district covers an area of . The mayor is Atila Aydıner .The people of Bayrampaşa are mainly Bosniaks...
. This line may further run from Bagcilar
Bagcilar
Bağcılar is a working class suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located behind Bahçelievler on the European side of the city, between the two major ring roads, the TEM and the E5...
to Spor Satonu in future. There may be a new line from Kadikoy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
to Bostancy (if it should build, it will follow the old route 4).
See also
- Public transport in IstanbulPublic transport in IstanbulPublic transport in Istanbul comprises a bus network, various rail systems, funiculars, and maritime services to serve the more than 13 million inhabitants of the city spread over an area of 5712 km².-History:...
- includes information on light rail. - Trams in IstanbulTrams in IstanbulIstanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire has three separate tramway systems. The Asian side has a heritage tram system, whereas the European side has both heritage tram & modern tram system....
- the first generation tramway network - Istanbul nostalgic tramIstanbul nostalgic tramNostalgic tram of Istanbul is the heritage tramway systems of Istanbul, Turkey. The city has two completely separate heritage tram systems, one on the European side, the another on the Asian side....
- Two separate heritage tramways of Istanbul - Istanbul LRTIstanbul LRTThis article is about the M1 and T4 lines. For the M2 line, see the article M2.The Istanbul LRT , which consists of the M1 and T4 lines, is a light metro system in Istanbul with a total length of 32 km There are 36 stations, including 12 underground and 3 viaduct...
- Istanbul MetroIstanbul MetroThe Istanbul Metro, or the M2, is a mass-transit underground railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 2000, it now includes 13 stations. The system currently consists of a single north-south line...
- Istanbul suburban train
- Eskisehir tram
- Konya tram
- Antalya tram
- Kayseri tramKayserayKayseray is the new light rail street-tram system being built for the city of Kayseri in Turkey. The tracks and station structures are currently under construction, and should be completed fully before 2009.-History:...
External links
- Official Railway website - English (link not working)
- Official Railway website - Turkish
- T1 Bagcilar - Kabataş line (Official website) - Turkish
- T4 Topkapi - Habibler Line (Official website) - Turkish
- Modern tram of Istanbul at a glance (link not working)