Public transport in Istanbul - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Public transport in Istanbul comprises a 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...

network, various rail

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

systems, funicular

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

s, and maritime

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

services to serve the more than 13 million inhabitants of the city spread over an area of 5712 km².

History

Public road transport in Istanbul

Istanbul

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...

dates back to August 30, 1869, when a contract to build a tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

system in the 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...

was signed. With this agreement, Konstantin Krepano Efendi’s "Société des Tramways de Constantinople" obtained the concession

Concession (contract)

A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...

to operate public transportation for forty years. The inauguration of four lines of horse-driven trams was in 1871. In the first year, the horsecar

Horsecar

A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...

s transported 4.5 million people on the lines Azapkapi-Galata

Galata

Galata or Galatae is a neighbourhood in the Beyoğlu district on the European side of Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. Galata is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by...

, Aksaray-Yedikule

Yedikule

Yedikule or Heptapyrgion can refer to:* the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, Turkey.* the Yedikule neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, where the fortress is located, part of the district of Fatih....

, Aksaray-Topkapı

Topkapi

Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

and 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...

-Aksaray. More lines were added in the following years. 430 horses were used to draw the 45 carriages, including 15 summer-type and some double-deckers, on meter gauge track. In 1912, the horse-drawn tram had to cease to operate for one year because the Ministry of Defense sent all the horses to the front during the Balkan War. The tram network was electrified by overhead contact wire on February 2, 1914. The tram began to run on the Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

n part of Istanbul on June 8, 1928 between Üsküdar

Üsküdar

Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...

and Kısıklı. By the 1950s, the length of the tram lines reached 130 km. The trams were on service on the European side of the city until August 12, 1961 and on the Asian side until November 14, 1966.

The same time as the horsecar started to run, construction of 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...

, a short funicular

Funicular

between Pera

Pera

Pera may refer to:People* Marcus Junius Pera, Roman dictator* Alfredo Le Pera , Brazilian journalist* Marcello Pera , Italian philosopher and politician* Marília Pêra , Brazilian actress* Patrick Péra , French figure skater...

and Galata

Galata

, began on July 30, 1871. The funicular opened to service on December 5, 1874, the second oldest subway in the world after the London underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

. In the beginning, only freight and livestock were transported. On January 17, 1875, after completing the test runs, the funicular was opened to the public. It is still in service.

Bus transportation in İstanbul started in 1926 with four Renault-Scania buses between Beyazıt and Karaköy

Karaköy

Karaköy, the modern name for the ancient Galata, is a commercial neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus....

. The fleet grew up from 9 buses in 1942 to 16 in 1955 and to 525 buses in 1960, and then became the backbone of public transport in an ever-enlarging city.

Several British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

and French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

companies operated all public transport in İstanbul until June 16, 1939, the date of nationalization. The newly established company İETT (İstanbul Electric Tram and Funicular Company) took over from then on the task of public transport in İstanbul.

On May 27, 1961 trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

es were put in service first between Topkapı and Eminönü following the elimination of trams. However, they were taken out of service some time later because they also hindered the growing traffic in the narrow streets of the old city.

A commuter rail line was built on the European side of the city from Sirkeci

Sirkeci

Sirkeci is an area in the Eminönü neighborhood of the Fatih district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It has evolved as the place name of the area in Eminönü surrounding Sirkeci Station, the Southeastern long distance passenger train terminus in Europe for the Orient Express.The neighborhood...

to Hadımköy in 1872, which was followed in 1873 on the Anatolian part from Haydarpaşa Terminal

Haydarpasa Terminal

The Haydarpaşa Terminal or Haydarpaşa Station is a major intercity rail station and transportation hub in Kadıköy, İstanbul. It is the busiest rail terminal in Turkey and the Middle East and one of the busiest in Eastern Europe. The terminal also has connections to İETT bus and ferry service. The...

to İzmit

Izmit

İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 294.875...

.

The ferry is one of the oldest means of transit in İstanbul, a city with two parts separated by the Bosphorus strait and surrounded by sea. In 1837, British and Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n owned boats started transport on the Bosphorus. The İstanbul Maritime Company was established in 1851 by a decree

Decree

A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...

of Ottoman

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...

Sultan

Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...

Abdülmecid I

Sultan Abdülmecid I, Abdul Mejid I, Abd-ul-Mejid I or Abd Al-Majid I Ghazi was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on July 2, 1839. His reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories...

. The ferry service began in 1853 with six paddle steamer

Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...

s built in the Robert White shipyard in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The service was extended in 1859 to places around 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...

. After 1903 screw-driven steamboat

Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

s were put in service. Until 1929 boats were imported; later on the ferries were built in the shipyards in Golden Horn. At its peak the fleet contained 40 boats.

In 1867, the same company started vehicle transport across the Boğaziçi (Bosphorus)

Bogaziçi

Boğaziçi is the general term, specific to İstanbul and overlapping administrative divisions, used to denote those parts of the city with view of the Bosphorus...

between Kabataş

Kabatas, Istanbul

Kabataş is a quarter of Beyoğlu municipality in Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the European shore of the Bosphorus, between Beşiktaş and Karaköy.-References:* Istanbul.com - -External links:*...

and Üsküdar

Üsküdar

with two ferries purchased from England, as the first scheduled ferry lines in the world.

Line Statistics

Line	Mode	Line Destinations	No. of (Stations	Length (km)	Trip Time (End To End) (Mins)	Average Speed (km/hour)	Daily Trips	Peak Freq (every x mins)	Size of Fleet	Passengers / Day	Daily Capacity	Average Passengers / Trip
M1	Light Rail	Aksaray - Atatürk International Airport	18	19.6	32	36.7	416	5	80 units	210,000	450,000	509
M2	Underground Train	Hacıosman - Şişhane	12	16.5	27	36.7	394	4	124 carriages	170,000	unknown	431
T1	Modern Tramway	Kabatas - Bagcilar	31	19.5	40	29.2	unknown	2	92 units	265,000	300,000	unknown
T4	Light Rail	Edirnekapı - Sultançiftliği	22	15.3	42	21.9	380	5	63 units	100,000	unknown	263
34	BRT (Metrobus)	Söğütlüçeşme - Avcılar Campus (Istanbul Uni)	33	43	63	40.9	4000	32 seconds	300 buses	800,000	875,000	218
B1	Suburban Train	Sirkeci to Halkalı	33	25	53	28.3	116	15	unknown	22,236	unknown	192
B2	Suburban Train	Haydarpaşa - Gebze	27	unknown	65	66.5	120	15	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown

Sources unless otherwise cited

Urban Rail Statistics from Istanbul Ulasim.
Suburban Rail Statistics from Turkish State Railways

Bus system

The bus fleet has 2,841 vehicles built by MAN (448), Ikarus

Ikarus Bus

Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:...

(1,291), Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

(988), DAF

VDL Bus International

VDL Bus Chassis is a Netherlands-based bus builder which originated from the bus-building business of DAF.Originally named DAF Bus International after being separated from the truck-building business of DAF, it joined the United Bus in 1990...

/Optare

Optare

Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....

(39) and VDL Berkhof (6). The buses run daily about 448,000 km on around 468 lines with 7,889 bus-stops. 435 million people a year were transported in 2003, making a share of 14,2% of all the transportation in Istanbul.

Bus Fleet of IETT
Bus	Number	Passenger capacity (Number of seats)	Exhaust emission
MAN SL202 MAN SL202 The MAN SL202 was a single-decker bus built by MAN Nutzfahrzeuge from the mid-1980s, through to 1995, mainly used in Australia, Germany and New Zealand... (solo)	200	30	ECE-R 49
MAN SL202 MAN SL202 The MAN SL202 was a single-decker bus built by MAN Nutzfahrzeuge from the mid-1980s, through to 1995, mainly used in Australia, Germany and New Zealand... (articulated)	170	44	ECE-R 49
Ikarus Ikarus Bus Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:... 260 (solo)	1113	21	ECE-R 49
Ikarus Ikarus Bus Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:... 280 (articulated)	126	37	ECE-R 49
Ikarus Ikarus Bus Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:... 280 (articulated)	12	38	EURO 1
Mercedes-Benz O345 (solo)	479	36	EURO 2
Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro (solo)	394	29	EURO 3
Mercedes-Benz O345G (articulated)	85	49	EURO 2
Mercedes-Benz O530G Citaro G (articulated)	100	42	EURO 3
Mercedes-Benz O530GL Citaro GL 'CapaCity' Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series... (articulated)	50/31	42/42	EURO 4/EURO 5
DAF DB250/Optare Spectra Optare Spectra Launched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF DB250 chassis.The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased, but they are no means a restlyed Metrobus... (double-decker)	26	62	EURO 1
DAF DB250/MJT (double-decker)	52	72	EURO 3
Berkhof (Disabled-people bus)	3	27+2	EURO 2
Total	2841

Since 1985, private owned buses are allowed to operate under the audit of IETT. There are 1,366 private owned public buses, including 89 double-deckers.

Funiculars

Istanbul is served by two underground funicular railways

Funicular

, of very different ages and styles.

The older of these lines is the Tünel

Tünel

. This line is the oldest underground metro line in continental Europe, and the second in the world after London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

(arguably third in the world, if one counts Brooklyn, New York's abandoned Atlantic Avenue Tunnel). The Tünel is 573 m long with an altitude difference of 60 m and no intermediate stations between Karaköy

Karaköy

and Tünel Square. It has been continuously in service since 1875. It was originally steam-powered with two wooden trains serving parallel tracks. It was modernized in 1971. Today the line is single-track with a passing loop, electrically powered and runs on rubber tires with rebuilt ex-RATP MP 55 vehicles. A trip takes approximately 1.5 minutes. About 15,000 people use the line each day.
Unlike the modern one below which runs at strictly five minute intervals, this one goes when the driver has finished his tea with the ticket collector.

A second modern funicular, the Kabatas-Taksim Funicular, opened in June 2006, connecting Kabataş

Kabatas, Istanbul

and Taksim

Taksim

Taksim 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...

. This system connects the sea bus station and the tram stop in Kabatas to the metro station on Taksim. It is about 600 meters long and climbs approximately 60 meters in 110 seconds.

Light rail (Light metro)

Main article: Istanbul LRT
Istanbul LRT
This 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...

The Istanbul LRT

LRT

LRT may stand for:*IATA airport code for Lorient South Brittany Airport, France*Lewis Roberts-Thomson*Lithuanian National Radio and Television *Light rail, a form of urban rail public transportation...

is a light rail transit system consisting of 2 lines. The first line (M1) began service on September 3, 1989 between Aksaray and Kartaltepe. The line was further developed step-by-step and reached Atatürk Airport

Atatürk International Airport

Atatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...

on December 20, 2002. The other line (T4) was opened in 2007 between Edirnekapi and Mescid-i Selam. There are 36 stations, including 12 underground and 3 viaduct stations, on the line's 32 km length. The lines are totally segregated from other traffic without level crossings and run underground for 10.2 km. Service is operated with LRT vehicles built by ABB

Asea Brown Boveri

ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....

in 1989.

Metro

Main article: Istanbul 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...

The construction of the underground railway in Istanbul began in 1992. The first line (M2)

M2 (İstanbul Metro)

The M2 is a rapid transit service of the İstanbul Metro. It is colored green on station signs but colored blue on the official map. It runs underneath the north-south Büyükdere Avenue. The M2 starts at Hacıosman near Sarıyer and ends at Şişhane in Beyoğlu. There is a shuttle which services a branch...

between Taksim

Taksim Square

Taksim Square situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major shopping, tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network...

and 4th Levent

Levent

Levent is a neighbourhood and one of the main business districts of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It is a part of the municipality of Beşiktaş which is situated to the north of the Golden Horn, at the western shore of the Bosporus strait.Levent is in direct...

went into service on September 16, 2000. This line is 8.5 km long and has 6 stations, which all look similar but are in different colors. Currently there are 8 French built 4-car trains in service, which run every 5 minutes on average and transport 130,000 passengers daily. A trip along the entire line takes 12 minutes. The entire subway was built by the cut-and-cover method to withstand an earthquake

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

of up to 9.0 on the Richter magnitude scale

Richter magnitude scale

The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

.

A northern extension from 4th Levent to Atatürk Oto Sanayi station in Maslak

Maslak

Maslak is a neighbourhood and one of the main business districts of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It is an exclave of the municipality of Şişli, though being far north and actually closer to the municipalities of Beşiktaş and Sarıyer.Maslak is in direct competition...

(Ayazağa) entered service in 2009, as well as a southern extension from Taksim to Şişhane station in Beyoğlu

Beyoglu

Beyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...

, near the northern entrance of Tünel

Tünel

. The rest of the southern section of the metro, which will run to Yenikapı

Yenikapi

Yenikapı is a port and a neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula....

, across the Golden Horn

Golden Horn

on a bridge and underground through the old city, is also under construction. The southern extension of M2 from Sishane to Yenikapi over the new Golden Horn Bridge is expected to open in 2014.

On the Asian side, 26.5 km (16.5 mi) long M4 construction from Kadıköy

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 Kaynarca

Kaynarca

Kaynarca, formerly Yena, is a town and district of Sakarya Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. The mayor is Zeynur Özel ....

continues. The line will open on 31 December up to Kartal which will have a total of 19 stations when Kaynarca opens.

Bus rapid transit (BRT)

Main article: Metrobus (Istanbul)
Metrobus (Istanbul)
Metrobus is the name of the bus rapid transit system implemented and operated in İstanbul, Turkey. The name Metrobüs was coined by the transit agency to suggest that this system is a hybrid between a metro train and a bus...

The bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...

(BRT) system in Istanbul is called Metrobüs. The construction of the Metrobüs BRT line began in 2005. The first line runs between Avcılar

Istanbul University

Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...

and Topkapı

Topkapi

Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

. This line is 11 km long and has 18 stations, which are located on Istanbul's Main Highway, called the D 100. It is currently operated with Mercedes Capacity, Mercedes Citaro

Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro

The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...

, and DAF

VDL DB250

The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. A small number of DB250s have also been exported to Istanbul, Turkey.-DB250:...

double-decker bus

Double-decker bus

A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...

es.

Extensions are planned at each end of the line. In the first phase, the eastern end of the line will be extended to Esentepe

Esentepe

Esentepe is a small town near the coast of Northern Cyprus, located east of Kyrenia. It is home to the Esentepe S.K. and a mosque....

and meet with the current metro system. In the second phase, this line will pass over the Boğaziçi Bridge and end at the Göztepe

Göztepe

Göztepe can refer to:*Göztepe, Istanbul, a neigbourhood in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, Turkey*Göztepe, İzmir, a district of İzmir, Turkey*Göztepe A.Ş., a football club in İzmir...

on the Asia side of Istanbul. Eventually, the western end will be extended up to Beylikdüzü

Beylikdüzü

Beylikdüzü is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey. The mayor is Yusuf Uzun ....

.

Several new lines are also planned, and construction will start in the near future.

Nostalgic trams

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....

returned in 1990.

By the end of 1990, a historic tram was put in service (T5) along Istiklal Avenue

Istiklal Avenue

İstiklal Avenue or Istiklal Street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends...

between Taksim

Taksim Square

and Tünel

Tünel

, which is a single 1.6 km-long line.

On November 1, 2003, another nostalgic tram line (T3) was reopened on the Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

n part of Istanbul between Kadıköy

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...

and Moda

Moda

Moda may refer to:* Moda Records, a record label* Andrea Moda, an Italian fashion company* Andrea Moda Formula, a defunct Formula One racing team* MODA , Malaysia Official Designers Association* Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, London...

. It has 10 stations on a 2.6 km long route. The trip takes 21 minutes.

About 641,000 people were transported by the nostalgic trams in 2003.

Line T1

A fast tram (T1) was put in service in 1992 on standard gauge track with modern cars, connecting Sirkeci

Sirkeci

with Topkapı

Topkapi

Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

. The line was extended on one end from Topkapı to 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...

in March 1994 and, on the other end from Sirkeci to Eminönü

Eminönü

in April 1996. On January 30, 2005 it was extended from Eminönü to Fındıklı

Findikli

Fındıklı is a town and district of Rize Province on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, east of the city of Rize.-Etymology:The town was formerly known as Vitze which means twig or branch in the Laz language and was renamed Fındıklı after the hazelnuts that were grown here, .-Geography:Like most Black...

, crossing the Golden Horn

Golden Horn

on 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:...

after 44 years without tram service on the bridge. A final extension to Kabataş

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...

opened in June 2006. The line has 24 stations on a length of 14 km. Service was initially operated with 22 LRT vehicles built by ABB

Asea Brown Boveri

, now reassigned to other lines; stations were provided with temporary high platforms. These vehicles were replaced by 55 low-floor Bombardier

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

Flexity 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...

trams in 2003. An entire trip takes 42 minutes. The daily transport capacity is 155,000 passengers. The amount of investment totaled US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

110 million. At the moment, 30 new Citadis

Citadis

The Citadis is a low-floor tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. 1,140 Citadis are currently in use in 28 cities, among others: Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Orléans, the Paris area, and Barcelona, Dublin, Gdańsk, Katowice, Adelaide, Melbourne, Jerusalem and...

301 evolution tramcars are on production line for Istanbul T1.

Hızlı Tramway stations are: Zeytinburnu

Zeytinburnu

, Mithatpaşa, Akşemsettin, Seyitnizam, Merkezefendi, Cevizlibağ, Topkapı

Topkapi

Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

, Pazartekke, Çapa

CAPA

CAPA, Capa or capa may refer to:People* Robert Capa, photographer, brother of Cornell Capa* Cornell Capa, photographer, brother of Robert Capa* Capa is sometimes used as a nickname for José Raúl Capablanca, the Cuban chess world champion...

, Fındıkzade, Haseki

Haseki

Haseki was the favourite concubine of an Ottoman Emperor in the times of Ottoman Empire. The haseki had an important place in the palace, being the second most powerful woman of the harem after the valide sultan, the mother of the emperor. Hasekis usually had chambers close to the Emperor's chamber...

, Yusufpaşa, Aksaray, Laleli

Laleli

Laleli is a village of the Refahiye district of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It was previously attached to the district of Kemah.-Name:...

(Üniversite

Istanbul University

), Beyazıt (Kapalıçarşı), Çemberlitaş, Sultanahmet, Gülhane, Sirkeci

Sirkeci

, Eminönü

Eminönü

(ferryboats), Karaköy

Karaköy

, Tophane

Tophane

Tophane is a neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It has a coastline with the Bosporus. In the Ottoman era it was the city's oldest industrial zone.- History :...

, Fındıklı

Findikli

, Kabataş

Kabatas

.

In June 2006, a modern underground funicular was opened at Kabataş

Kabatas

to connect this line to metro in Taksim

Taksim Square

Line T2

In September 2006, a second tram line (T2) was added running west from Zeytinburnu

Zeytinburnu

to Bağcılar

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...

. Service on this line is operated with 14 ABB LRT cars. Stations have high platforms at the level of the car floor.
Stations are Zeytinburnu (connect to T1 and M1) - Mehmet Akif - Merter Tekstil Sitesi - Güngören - Akıncılar - Soğanlı -Yavuz Selim - Güneştepe - Bağcılar.

Line T3

This is the nostalgic Moda tramway (T3) re-opened in 2003.
This is a single track circle tramway in Kadıköy

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...

on the Asian side.
Stations are Kadıköy (connect to Ferry) - İskele Camii - Çarşı - Altıyol - Bahariye - Kilise - Moda İlkokulu - Moda - Mühürdar - Damga Sokak and back to Kadiköy.

Line T4

In 2007 line T4 was opened between Şehitlik and Mescid-i Selam.
In 2009 the line was lengthened at both ends to reach Habibler (North) and Topkapi (South).
So now Line T4 connects with T1 at the station of Topkapi and goes to Habibler.
Stations are Topkapı (connect to T1) - Fetihkapı - Vatan - Edirnekapı - Şehitlik - Demirkapı - Topçular - Rami - Uluyol/Bereç - Sağmalcılar - Bosna/Çukurçeşme - Ali Fuat Başgil - Taşköprü - Karadeniz - Metris - Cumhuriyet Mah. - 50.Yıl/Baştabya - Hacı Şükrü - Yeni Mah. - Sultançiftliği - Cebeci - Mescid-i Selam - Habibler.

Line T5

This is the nostalgic tramway (T5) re-opened in 1990.
It is a single track line along Istiklal Avenue

Istiklal Avenue

İstiklal Avenue or Istiklal Street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends...

between Taksim

Taksim Square

and Tünel

Tünel

.
Stops are at Taksim, Ağa Camii, Galatasaray, Odakule and Tünel.
The line connects with the funicular

Funicular

(F2) at Tünel, and with the Metro (M2) and funicular (F1) at Taksim.

Suburban trains

The mainline railway between the main train station of the European part, Sirkeci

Sirkeci Terminal

Istanbul Sirkeci Terminal, also known as İstanbul Terminal, is a terminus main station of the Turkish State Railways in Sirkeci, on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey...

, and Halkalı, supports a suburban trainservice (B1) with 18 stations along its 30 km length. A single trip takes 48 minutes.
Another suburban line runs on the Anatolian part from the main train station Haydarpaşa

Haydarpasa Terminal

to Gebze

Gebze

Gebze is an industrial city in Kocaeli Province, Turkey. Situated 30 miles east of Istanbul on the northern shore of the Sea of Marmara, it is the largest district of Kocaeli; Gebze has experienced rapid growth in recent years- from 159,116 in 1990, to 282,444 in 2009. Gebze accounts for 15% of...

. The 44 km long line has 28 stations and the trip takes 65 minutes. For timetables (.pdf) see the (Turkish language) external link for the Turkish State Railways (www.tcdd.gov.tr) - click on "Banliyö Trenleri" (suburban trains) and "Hayderpasa" (for the Asian side) or "Istanbul". Clicking on ">>" will give the timetable(separate .pdf's for each direction). Electrified trains transport 13,000 passengers hourly on each line.

Ferryboats

Ferryboats sail on 15 lines serving 27 seaports on the shores of Bosphorus and 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...

. The 20 older ferryboats carry 61 million passengers yearly. In the 1980s 150 million people were transported. For modernization purposes, the Maritime Co. was handed over in 2005 to İDO

Ido

Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...

, which operates the sea buses in Istanbul.

The first steam ferries appeared on the Bosphorus in 1837 and were operated by private sector companies. On January 1, 1851, the Şirket-i Hayriye (literally The Goodwill Company, as the Istanbul Ferry Company was originally called) was established by the Ottoman

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...

state. The Şirket-i Hayriye continued to operate the city's landmark commuter ferries until the early years of the Republican period; when they went under the direction of Türkiye Denizcilik İşletmeleri (Turkish State Maritime Lines). Since March 2006, Istanbul's traditional commuter ferries have been operated by İstanbul Deniz Otobüsleri
Ido
Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...

(Istanbul Sea Buses) which also operates the high speed catamaran Seabus.
The current design of the Istanbul ferries, as we know them today, was largely created by the Fairfield Shipbuilders of Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland, which also built the largest amount of Istanbul ferries since 1851. The companies which designed and built the traditional commuter ferries of Istanbul include the White Shipbuilders of East Cowes

East Cowes

East Cowes is a town and civil parish to the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina next to its neighbour on the west bank, Cowes....

, England (models of 1854-1860); the M. Wigram Shipbuilders of London, England (models of 1863-1869); Maudslay & Sons of London, England (models of 1870-1872); R. & H. Green Shipbuilders of London, England (models of 1872-1890 and 1894–1896); J. W. Thames of London, England (models of 1890-1893); Napier, Shanks & Bell of Glasgow, Scotland (models of 1893-1894); Fairfield Shipbuilders of Glasgow, Scotland (models of 1903-1906, 1910–1911, 1914–1929, and 1938–1962); Armstrong Shipbuilders

Armstrong Whitworth

Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...

in Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

and Glasgow, United Kingdom (models of 1905-1907); Atl. & Chantier de France in Dunkerque, France (models of 1907-1911); Hawthorn Leslie and Company

Hawthorn Leslie and Company

R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.-History:...

in Newcastle, England (models of 1911); Kinderdijk L. Smith & Zoon Ltd, Holland (models of 1951); Cantieri Navali di Taranto SPA, Taranto

Taranto

Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....

, Italy (models of 1952); and Hasköy, Camialtı, and İstinye Shipyards in Istanbul, Turkey (models of 1929-1938 and 1962–1989).

Sea bus

Main article: IDO
Ido
Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...

On April 16, 1987 the Municipality of Istanbul established a company to provide fast sea transport with catamaran

Catamaran

A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

-type sea buses. With the first ten vessels purchased from Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, modernization of sea transportation was achieved. Today, the company İDO

Ido

Ido is a constructed language created with the goal of becoming a universal second language for speakers of different linguistic backgrounds as a language easier to learn than ethnic languages...

serves 29 terminals with a fleet of 28 catamarans, including six fast car ferries.

Cable car (gondola lift)

There is a short gondola lift

Gondola lift

A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...

line above the Democracy Park in the valley between Taksim

Taksim Square

and Maçka

Maçka

Maçka is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Ertuğrul Genç .-External links:* *...

built in 1993. It connects the hotels Istanbul Hilton on one side with Parksa Hilton and Swissotel The Bosphorus on the other side. The cable line is 333 m long and transports in two cabins with six seats each around 1,000 passengers daily. The trip takes three minutes.

A second cable car line was opened in 2005 between the historical district of Eyüp

Eyüp

-External links:* * * * *...

and the Pierre Loti

Pierre Loti

Pierre Loti was a French novelist and naval officer.-Biography:Loti's education began in his birthplace, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime. At the age of seventeen he entered the naval school in Brest and studied at Le Borda. He gradually rose in his profession, attaining the rank of captain in 1906...

cafe on the top of the hill. It was most expensive cable car ( 5.000.000 Euro )in Turkey. Cable car delivered by Leitner-Lift Co.

Smart Ticket

Istanbul has an integrated electronic ticket system for bus, funiculars, LRT, metro, commuter trains, ferryboats and trams. The system uses Akbil

Akbil (smart ticket)

Akbil is an integrated electronic ticket system used for payment in public transport of Istanbul, Turkey. It is valid for boarding busses, funiculars, LRT, metro, commuter trains, ferryboats and trams operated by the Metropolian Municipality. Unlike by payment cash, the Akbil allows passenger...

iButtons or smart RFID cards as tickets.

Marmaray

Marmaray is the name of a project to link the European and Anatolian halves of Istanbul by an undersea rail tunnel across the Bosphorus Strait

Bosporus

The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...

. The name Marmaray (Marmara Rail) comes from combining the name of the Sea of Marmara

Sea of Marmara

, which lies just south of the project site, with ray, the Turkish word for rail.

Rahmi M. Koç Museum
Rahmi M Koç Museum
The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is a private industrial museum in Istanbul, Turkey dedicated to history of transport, industry and communications. Rahmi M. Koç, member of the wealthiest dynasty in Turkey and retired boss of the Koç Group, founded the museum in 1991, which was opened on December 13, 1994...

, has exhibits about transportation in Istanbul

OFFICIAL ISTANBUL PUBLIC TRANSPORT WEBSITES

These official websites include timetables and maps

Buses & Funicular

Municipal Transport Authority of Istanbul IETT

Trains & Trams

Istanbul Ulasim (operator of Istanbuls urban rail systems)
Turkish State Railways Turkish language (includes Istanbul suburban timetables)
Turkish State Railways English language (runs suburban services from Sirkeci and Hydarpasa. Timetables on Turkish language website)

Ferry Services

IDO Ferries Istanbul fast (catamaran)
İSTANBUL ŞEHİR HATLARI (also known as private ferries, though all the ferries are now private)

Taxis

Up-to-date cab fare and distance calculator with Istanbul map.

Travel Guide

History

Line Statistics

Bus system

Funiculars

Light rail (Light metro)

Metro

Bus rapid transit (BRT)

Nostalgic trams

Line T1

Line T2

Line T3

Line T4

Line T5

Suburban trains

Ferryboats

Sea bus

Cable car (gondola lift)

Smart Ticket

Marmaray

See also

OFFICIAL ISTANBUL PUBLIC TRANSPORT WEBSITES

OTHER LINKS