İstanbul-Halkalı Commuter Line
Encyclopedia
The İstanbul-Halkalı Line, also referred to as the İstanbul Commuter Railway, locally referred to as B1 ' onMouseout='HidePop("44755")' href="/topics/Istanbul">İstanbul
, Turkey
. It is operated by the Turkish State Railways
and is one of İstanbul's two commuter rail lines (the other being the Haydarpaşa-Gebze Line). Carrying an average of 22,200 passengers daily, it is the second busiest commuter railway in Turkey
, after the Haydarpaşa Commuter Railway.
The İstanbul Commuter Railway also is a historical line, being the first rail line to be electrified and being the first commuter railway in Turkey. Since it opened on December 4, 1955, the E8000
series have been in operation. In the 1970s, the E14000
series came into service and in 2010 the new EUROTEM
built E23000
series began service.
The eastern terminus is Sirkeci Terminal
in the Fatih
district in the historical city center. The line curves around the shore of the Eminönü
peninsula, below the historic Topkapı Palace
, and heads west. Traveling on the southern European shore of İstanbul, the line passes through several important districts, until curving north at Soğuksu to Halkalı.
(CO) in 1872, as a part of their İstanbul-Vienna main line. The railway started to operate trains, when the line reached Edirne
in 1873. The CO was absorbed by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) in 1937 and TCDD started to operate steam-powered commuter service on the line. It wasn't until 1955, when the line was electrified from Sirkeci to Halkalı, that a frequent commuter service began. The newly retired E8000
EMUs were the first to run on the line along with 3 E4000
electric locomotives. In the 1970s, new E14000
EMUs started to appear on the line and in the 1990s, the E4000 locomotives were retired. New E23000
EMUs were put into service on September 19, 2010. With the addition of the new EMUs, the E8000s were finally retired.
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...
, 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...
. It is operated by the Turkish State Railways
Turkish State Railways
The State Railways of the Turkish Republic or TCDD is the government owned, national railway carrier in the Republic of Turkey, headquartered in Ankara...
and is one of İstanbul's two commuter rail lines (the other being the Haydarpaşa-Gebze Line). Carrying an average of 22,200 passengers daily, it is the second busiest commuter railway in 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...
, after the Haydarpaşa Commuter Railway.
The İstanbul Commuter Railway also is a historical line, being the first rail line to be electrified and being the first commuter railway in Turkey. Since it opened on December 4, 1955, the E8000
TCDD E8000
TCDD E8000 is a three-car electric multiple unit operated by the Turkish State Railways on the Istanbul commuter rail service. The units were the first electric trains delivered to Turkey, using the newly developed 25 kV 50 Hz AC power system recently developed by Alsthom...
series have been in operation. In the 1970s, the E14000
TCDD E14000
TCDD E14000 is an electric multiple unit used by the Turkish State Railways on their commuter rail services around Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The 75 units were delivered starting in 1979 to supplement the aging E8000 units that were in use on the European Istanbul service, when the other commuter...
series came into service and in 2010 the new EUROTEM
EUROTEM
EUROTEM, alternatively Hyundai EURotem, is a joint enterprise between Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and TÜVASAŞ of Turkey which was founded in 2006 and started production in December 2007....
built E23000
TCDD E23000
The TCDD E23000 series are Electric Multiple Units that were built by Hyundai-Rotem, with delivery beginning in 2009.The E23000s were built to replace the E8000 EMUs. They are operated by the Turkish State Railways for commuter service in Istanbul and Ankara and leased by İZBAN for commuter service...
series began service.
The eastern terminus is Sirkeci Terminal
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...
in the Fatih
Fatih
Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...
district in the historical city center. The line curves around the shore of the 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...
peninsula, below the historic Topkapı Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
, and heads west. Traveling on the southern European shore of İstanbul, the line passes through several important districts, until curving north at Soğuksu to Halkalı.
Stations
| Station | | Distance (km) from Sirkeci | | Rail connections | | Other Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosphorus Express Bosphorus Express The Bosphorus Express, also known as the Trans Balkan Express is an international passenger train running between İstanbul, Turkey an Bucharest, Romania. It runs together with the Balkans Express until Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria where the later continues to Belgrade, Serbia... Balkans Express Balkans Express The Balkans Express is an overnight train operating between İstanbul and Belgrade, servicing cities like Edirne, Plovdiv and Sofia. The train connects with the Bosphorus Express at Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria and continues to İstanbul.... İstanbul-Kapıkule Regional |
Tram: T1 Istanbul modern tram 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 by low floor trams in the old center and the other a more outer area of Istanbul.-History:... Bus: 81 Municipal Ferries (Eminönü) |
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| Bus: 81 | |||
| Bus: 81 | |||
| Bus: 30D, 31, 31Y, 39D, 46KY, 46ÇY, 69A, 70KY, 77, 88A, 96T, 146T | |||
Yedikule railway station Yedikule railway station is a historic train station located next to the Yedikule Fortress in İstanbul, Turkey. The Yedikule Electric Train Depot is also located across from the station but is closed down. As of 2007, only one track services the station because the eastbound track was closed due to... |
Bus: 80, 80B, 80T, 81, 96T | ||
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| Bus: 93, 93C, 93M, 93T | |||
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| Bus: 72T, 81 | |||
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| Bus: 73T | |||
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Halkalı railway station Halkalı is the westernmost station on the İstanbul-Halkalı Line as well as in İstanbul. The station also services regional trains to Edirne, Uzunköprü, Çerkezköy and international trains to Bucharest and Belgrade. The Halkalı logistics center and the historic Halkalı Electric train maintenance... |
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History
The line was originally built by the Oriental RailwayChemins de fer Orientaux
The Chemins de fer Orientaux was an Ottoman railway company operating in the northwestern Ottoman Empire. It served 2 main lines between Vienna and İstanbul with branch lines to nearby cities. The railway operated between 1869 and 1937...
(CO) in 1872, as a part of their İstanbul-Vienna main line. The railway started to operate trains, when the line reached Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
in 1873. The CO was absorbed by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) in 1937 and TCDD started to operate steam-powered commuter service on the line. It wasn't until 1955, when the line was electrified from Sirkeci to Halkalı, that a frequent commuter service began. The newly retired E8000
TCDD E8000
TCDD E8000 is a three-car electric multiple unit operated by the Turkish State Railways on the Istanbul commuter rail service. The units were the first electric trains delivered to Turkey, using the newly developed 25 kV 50 Hz AC power system recently developed by Alsthom...
EMUs were the first to run on the line along with 3 E4000
TCDD E4000
TCDD E4000 was the first electric locomotive used by the Turkish State Railways, TCDD. The three units, numbered E4001 - E4003 were built by Alsthom and Jeumont in France. The units are currently disused.-History:...
electric locomotives. In the 1970s, new E14000
TCDD E14000
TCDD E14000 is an electric multiple unit used by the Turkish State Railways on their commuter rail services around Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The 75 units were delivered starting in 1979 to supplement the aging E8000 units that were in use on the European Istanbul service, when the other commuter...
EMUs started to appear on the line and in the 1990s, the E4000 locomotives were retired. New E23000
TCDD E23000
The TCDD E23000 series are Electric Multiple Units that were built by Hyundai-Rotem, with delivery beginning in 2009.The E23000s were built to replace the E8000 EMUs. They are operated by the Turkish State Railways for commuter service in Istanbul and Ankara and leased by İZBAN for commuter service...
EMUs were put into service on September 19, 2010. With the addition of the new EMUs, the E8000s were finally retired.