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Istanbul Metro

Istanbul Metro
Metro istanbul ikon.png
Overview
Native name İstanbul Metrosu
Owner Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Locale Istanbul, Turkey
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines 6 European lines (4 in service, some will be extended; 2 under construction);
3 Asian lines (1 in service, will be extended; 2 under construction)
Number of stations 73 in service;
71 under construction
Annual ridership 384.9 million (2015)
Website Metro Istanbul (English)
Operation
Began operation 1989 (M1 - as light metro)
2000 (M2)
Operator(s) Metro Istanbul
Number of vehicles 453
Technical
System length 95.3 km (59.2 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
(standard gauge)
System map
Metro Transportation Map Istanbul 2014.png

The Istanbul Metro (Turkish: İstanbul Metrosu) is a rapid transit railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It is operated by Metro Istanbul (the new name of Istanbul Ulaşım A.Ş.), a public enterprise, controlled by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The oldest section is the metro is M1 line, which opened in 1989; it now includes 73 stations in service, with 71 more under construction.

The system currently consists of five lines named M1, M2, M3, M4, and the M6 Mini-Metro. More lines are under construction or planned: M5 (Üsküdar-Çekmeköy/Sancaktepe), M8 (Bostancı-Dudullu) will be on the Asian side, while M7 (Kabataş-Mahmutbey), M9 (Ataköy-İkitelli) will be on the European side.

Istanbul Metro well connected with Marmaray and F1 Funicular underground systems and T1 modern tram ground system.

The oldest underground urban rail line in Istanbul is the Tünel, which entered service on January 17, 1875. It is the world's second-oldest underground urban rail line after the London Underground which was built in 1863, and the first underground urban rail line in continental Europe.

The first master plan for a full metro network in Istanbul, titled Avant Projet d'un Métropolitain à Constantinople and conceived by the French engineer L. Guerby, dates to January 10, 1912. The plan comprised a total of 24 stations between the Topkapı and Şişli districts and included a connection through the Golden Horn. Each station would have a 75-metre platform next to the rail line, while the distance between stations varied from 220 to 975 metres. The blueprints of the project, which was never realized, are today displayed at the Istanbul Technical University Museum.


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Wikipedia

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