Public 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
Public road transport in Istanbul dates back to August 30, 1869, when a contract to build
a tram system in the capital of the Ottoman Empire was signed. With this agreement, Konstantin
Krepano Efendi’s "Société des Tramways de Constantinople" obtained the concession
to operate public transportation for forty years. The inauguration of four lines of horse-driven
trams was in 1871. In the first year, the horsecars transported 4.5 million people on
the lines Azapkapı-Galata, Aksaray-Yedikule, Aksaray-Topkapı and Eminönü-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 1,000 mm metre 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 Anatolian part of Istanbul
on June 8, 1928 between Üsküdar 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, a short funicular
between Pera and 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. 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.
A commuter rail line was built on the European side of the city from Sirkeci to Hadımköy
in 1872, which was followed in 1873 on the Anatolian part from Haydarpaşa Terminal to
İzmit. 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 Russian owned boats started transport on the Bosphorus. The İstanbul
Maritime Company was established in 1851 by a decree of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I.
The ferry service began in 1853 with six paddle steamers built in the Robert White shipyard
in England. The service was extended in 1859 to places around Golden Horn. After 1903 screw-driven
steamboats 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 between Kabataş
and Üsküdar with two ferries purchased from England, as the first scheduled ferry lines
in the world. All ferry companies were nationalized in 1945.
Bus transportation in İstanbul started in 1926 with four Renault-Scania buses between
Beyazıt and Karaköy. 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 and French companies operated all public transport in İstanbul until June
16, 1939, the date of nationalization. The newly established company İETT took over
from then on the task of public transport in İstanbul.
On May 27, 1961 trolleybuses 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.
In 1988, a company called Ulaşım A.Ş. was established to run the services of LRT, Metro
and Modern Trams by the Municipality of Istanbul. The company is still active and will be the
operator of the new rail lines.
Transportation today Metro
The construction of the underground railway in Istanbul began in 1992. The first line
between Taksim and 4th Levent 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.
A northern extension from 4th Levent to Atatürk Oto Sanayi station in Maslak entered service
in 2009, as well as a southern extension from Taksim to Şişhane station in Beyoğlu, near
the northern entrance of Tünel. Last northern extension for short term, Hacı Osman was
opened in 2011. The rest of the southern section of the metro, which will run to Yenikapı,
across the Golden Horn on a bridge and underground through the old city, is also under construction.
The southern extension of M2 from Şişhane to Yenikapı over the new Golden Horn Bridge
is opened in 2013; then connected with Airport and Airport lines in 2014.
On the Asian side, 26.5 km long M4 line opened on 17 August 2012 up to Kartal. The line will
have a total of 19 stations when the second section as far as Kaynarca opens. A connection
to Sabiha Gökçen Airport is proposed. Construction has also begun on the M5 which
will link Üskudar, Ümraniye and Çekmeköy on the Asian side.
Currently there are 124 Hyundai-Rotem and 120 CAF trains in service. A trip along the
entire line takes 27 and 32 minutes. All lines are operated by Ulaşım A.Ş. which
belongs to the Municipality of Istanbul.
Light rail Rapid Transit
The Istanbul LRT is a light rail transit system which consists of 2 lines and is operated
by Ulaşım A.Ş.. The first line began service on September 3, 1989 between Aksaray and Kartaltepe.
The line was further developed step-by-step and reached Atatürk Airport on December 20,
2002. The line has 18 stations and length is 19,6 km. As of 2012, dailyridership is
416 journey and 210.000 passengers. The other line was opened in 2007 between Edirnekapı
and Mescid-i Selam. There are 22 stations and length is 15,3 km . Since March 2009,
the line works between Topkapı and Hapibler Service is operated with LRT vehicles built
by ABB in 1989. As of 2012, dailyridership is 380 journey and 100.000 passenger.
Funiculars
Istanbul is served by two underground funicular railways, of very different ages and styles.
The older of these lines is the Tünel. This line is the oldest underground metro line
in continental Europe, and the second in the world after London. The Tünel is 573 m long
with an altitude difference of 60 m and no intermediate stations between 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 has a less regular schedule. Opened in June 2006, a second modern funicular
line, the Kabataş-Taksim Funicular, is operated by Ulaşım A.Ş. and connects the Seabus
port and tram stop of Kabataş with the metro station at Taksim Square. It is about 600 meters
long and climbs approximately 60 meters in 110 seconds.
Trams
Istanbul inaugurated horse trams in 1872 and these served the people of Istanbul until
1912. Following this date, electric trams were put in place and they were the main means
for urban public transport until 1966. 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. Tramcars were not modernized for many decades, and some of the 1911 electric
cars were still running in the 1960s. At that time modern buses provided faster and smoother
journeys. Because of those negative issues, tram system closed in mid-1960s.
From starting '70, all this problems started and by the mid-1980s, Istanbulians realized
that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Many cities around
the world like Tunis, Buenos Aires etc. also understood that error, and like them, Istanbul
also planned for return of tram. As an experiment, Istanbul first opened a
heritage tram at European side in 1990. Due to increasing popularity, they opened a modern
tram in 1992, also at European side. Now, the Asian side has a heritage tram system,
whereas the European side has both heritage tram and modern tram system.
The modern tram line is initially operated with 55 low-floor Bombardier Flexity Swift
and 32 Alstom Citadis.
Suburban trains
The mainline railway between the main railway station of the European part, Sirkeci, and
Halkalı, supported a suburban train service with 18 stations along its 30 km length.
A single trip took 48 minutes. However, most of the line was closed for rehabilitation
works on 1 March 2013; the trains now run between Sirkeci and Yedikule, with a trip
duration of 16 minutes over 6 stations. Another suburban line ran on the Anatolian
part from the main railway station Haydarpaşa to Gebze. From 29 April 2012 to 19 June 2013,
the last stop was Pendik due to rehabilitation works. From 19 June 2013, the whole line will
be closed for 24 months due to rehabilitation works. The 44 km long line has 28 stations
and the trip takes 65 minutes. Frequency between journeys are 10 minutes
in peak hours and last journey is 23.40 in Asian side and 23.30 in European side.
Bus rapid transit
The bus rapid transit system in Istanbul is called Metrobüs. The construction of the
Metrobüs BRT line began in 2005. The first line runs between Avcılar and Söğütlüçeşme.
This line is 41.5 km long and has 35 stations, which are located on Istanbul's Main Highway,
called the D 100. It is currently operated with Mercedes Capacity, Mercedes Citaro, and
some Phileas buses. Daily ridership is 715.000 passenger.
An extension to Beylikdüzü opened in 2012.
Bus system
The bus fleet has 4012 vehicles built by MAN, Ikarus, Mercedes-Benz, BMC, Phileas, Otokar,
Temsa and Güleryüz. Total number of daily ridership is 3 621 908 passengers and this
number consisting %30 of city's total transportation per day in 2012.
Since 1985, private owned buses called ÖHO are allowed to operate under the audit of
İETT. There are 2.157 private owned public buses, including 144 double-deckers.
In 2010, the municipality decided to found a new company called Otobüs A.Ş. for replace
old vehicles faster. The fleet of Otobüs A.Ş. consisting 544 vehicles as of December
2012. The vehicles has completely low floor and certified with Euro 5 standards.
Seabus
On April 16, 1987 the Municipality of Istanbul established a company to provide fast sea
transport with catamaran-type seabuses. With the first ten vessels purchased from Norway,
modernization of sea transportation was achieved. Today, the company İDO serves 29 terminals
with a fleet of 28 catamarans, including six fast car ferries.
Ferryboats
Ferryboats sail on 15 lines serving 27 seaports on the shores of Bosphorus and Sea of Marmara.
The 20 older ferryboats carry 61 million passengers yearly. In the 1980s 150 million
people were transported. Today, there is 3 types of ferry in İstanbul;
Sea Busses, Vapur's and private motorboats. 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 was established by the Ottoman 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. Since March 2006,
Istanbul's traditional commuter ferries have been operated by municipality.
The current design of the Istanbul ferries, as we know them today, was largely created
by the Fairfield Shipbuilders of Glasgow, 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, England; the M. Wigram Shipbuilders
of London, England; Maudslay & Sons of London, England; R. & H. Green Shipbuilders of
London, England; J. W. Thames of London, England; Napier, Shanks & Bell of Glasgow,
Scotland; Fairfield Shipbuilders of Glasgow, Scotland; Armstrong Shipbuilders in Newcastle
and Glasgow, United Kingdom; Atl. & Chantier de France in Dunkerque, France; Hawthorn Leslie
and Company in Newcastle, England; Kinderdijk L. Smith & Zoon Ltd, Holland; Cantieri Navali di Taranto
SPA, Taranto, Italy; and Hasköy, Camialtı, and İstinye Shipyards in Istanbul(models
of 1929-1938 and 1962–1989).
Aerial lift There is a short gondola lift line above the
Democracy Park in the valley between Taksim and Maçka, the Maçka Gondola, built in 1993.
It connects the hotels Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus 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 aerial lift line, the Eyüp Gondola was opened in 2005 between the historical
district of Eyüp and the Pierre Loti Hill. The gondola lift, built by the Italian Leitner
Ropeways Co. of Leitner Group was the most expensive cable car line in Turkey costing
5 million Euros. Smart Ticket
Istanbul has an integrated electronic ticket system for bus, funiculars, LRT, metro, commuter
trains, ferryboats and trams. The system uses smart RFID cards, called Istanbulkart, as
tickets. The old Akbil iButtons are now being phased out as of 2012.
See also Rahmi M. Koç Museum, has exhibits about transportation
in Istanbul References
External links İstanbul public transport websites
These official websites include timetables and maps
Buses & Funicular Municipal Bus Transport Authority of Istanbul
IETT Trains & Trams
Ulaşım AŞ Turkish State Railways Turkish language
Turkish State Railways English language Ferry Services
İDO İstanbul Sea Ferries Şehir Hatları
Other links Timeline of the Istanbul Rail Transit Network
- CityRailTransit.com The Istanbul metro - UrbanRail.net
Public Transport by Rail in Turkish Cities - Rail Turkey