Turkey Completes One of the World's Longest Metro Routes

President Erdogan in the Halkalı-Arnavutköy metro section. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

JAKARTA - Turkey has one of the longest metro routes in the world, when the last phase of the metro line was inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in June, strengthening the connection between the city center and its main airport.

President Erdogan inaugurated the 22-kilometer (13.7 miles) Halkalı-Arnavutköy section on June 19, the final phase of a project that he said would significantly improve transportation for millions of Istanbul residents.

This final phase brings the total length of the Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport-Halkalı line, which is entirely underground, to 69 km. The route includes 16 stations.

"We are knitting our city - one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world with a population of 16 million and almost 20 million annual visitors little by little with a train network," President Erdoğan said at the opening ceremony, quoted by Anadolu (5/8).

Before the event took place, he reviewed the route and told reporters that the route was "a manifestation of a modern vision."

President Erdogan at the inauguration of the Halkalı-Arnavutköy metro line. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

The first section, 47 kilometers long, has been gradually put into operation in recent years.

The Kağıthane-Istanbul Airport line was inaugurated at the end of January 2023, the Kağıthane-Gayrettepe section opened at the end of January 2024, while the Arnavutköy-Istanbul Airport section was launched in March of the same year.

The opening of the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section marks the completion of "one of the longest metro lines, not only in Turkey but also in the world," said President Erdoğan.

The line will operate at speeds of up to 120 km per hour, making it the fastest metro route in Turkey and one of the longest underground airport metro connections in the world.

The newly opened route includes five stations: Ibn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, Olimpiyatköy, Halkalı Stadium and Halkalı.

President Erdogan at the inauguration of the Halkalı-Arnavutköy metro line. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

With the addition of these stations, around 1.5 million residents in the Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece districts of Istanbul will have direct access to the city center and Istanbul Airport.

The route is integrated with several major transportation networks. At Halkalı station, passengers can switch to the Marmaray commuter train system that crosses the Bosphorus Strait, the high-speed train service, the Halkalı-Bahçeşehir suburban train line, and the Yenikapı-Kirazlı-Halkalı metro line.

There is also advanced access to the M3 metro line in Kayaşehir, the M9 line in Olimpiyatköy, and the M7 line which is planned to be extended to the Halkalı Stadium.

"Now, millions of our citizens have easy access to central locations in Istanbul," said President Erdoğan.

Travel time on this completed route will be significantly reduced; the journey between Halkalı and Istanbul Airport is expected to take around 30 minutes, while the journey between Halkalı and Gayrettepe will take 57 minutes.

This line is also equipped with the first railway signaling system in Turkey developed domestically, produced by the defense electronics company Aselsan.

This network will operate using a fully automated system without a driver. Of the 25 train sets operated on the route, 15 of them are produced with fully unmanned operational standards.

The government estimates that this project will generate a total economic benefit of 935 million euros (almost 1.1 billion US dollars) by 2043, obtained through time savings and a reduction in highway maintenance and operational costs.

Officials project that the reduction in traffic congestion alone will save the traveling public around 117 million hours during the period.