Istanbul Underground

The Istanbul underground line between Kadikoy and Kartal forms part of a series of works planned by the city authorities to resolve urban congestion, with special focus on links between the two sides of the Bosporus. Specifically, the new underground line being built by Astaldi, measuring almost 22km, will link Kadikoy, the area where ferries dock on the Asian side of the Bosporus, to Kartal station along the E5/D100 motorway. The route, which will run completely underground, cuts across highly populated residential areas and once completed will be able to transport 70,000 passengers per hour, equal to approximately 100 buses or 4,300 minibuses that are extremely popular in Turkey’s main cities. 120 trains will travel along the Kadikoy-Kartal line, each able to accommodate 120 passengers (64 seated). The planned maximum speed is 80km/h.

The tunnels will be dug using the traditional method as well as with the help of TBMs while the links between tunnels and junctions  will be built using the Austrian method (NATM). Specific attention will be paid to the first section of the line from Kadikoy given that, considering the city’s age-old history, there is a real possibility of uncovering archaeological finds.
The planned duration of works is approximately 48 months with inauguration of the line envisaged for 2010.