18.06.2026 13:31
The Halkalı-Arnavutköy Metro Line, which will be a significant milestone in Istanbul's transportation network, goes into service tomorrow. With the new phase, travel between Halkalı and Istanbul Airport will be reduced to 30 minutes, and between Halkalı and Gayrettepe to 57 minutes, while the entire line will operate with a fully automatic driverless system. Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the length of rail systems added to Istanbul with this project has reached 180 kilometers.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, along with Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, conducted inspections on the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section of the Halkalı-Istanbul Airport Metro Line, which will be inaugurated tomorrow with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following the inspections, Minister Uraloğlu stated, "Tomorrow, with the presence of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will proudly complete one of the most important projects that will strengthen Istanbul's urban rail system network by putting into service the final stage of the Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport-Halkalı Metro Line, which is Turkey's longest and fastest metro line at 69 kilometers, the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section, stamping a new mark in Istanbul's rail system history. As in the great metropolises of the world, the only permanent solution to Istanbul's transportation problem is to expand underground rail systems. Look, major metropolises like Istanbul are like giant living organisms that combine the life rhythm, trade flow, production power, and economic pulse of millions of people into a single body."
"RAIL SYSTEMS ARE THE INDISPENSABLE INFRASTRUCTURE OF 21ST CENTURY CITIES" Stating that rail systems are indispensable for 21st century cities, Minister Uraloğlu said, "Rail systems are far beyond being just a mode of transport carrying passengers; they are the fundamental pillars of sustainable growth, balanced development, and future vision of modern cities. They eliminate traffic chaos and give people back their valuable time. This time allows them to have quality moments with their loved ones, gather more often with their families, and spend more time on themselves, their hobbies, and their health. With environmentally friendly technologies, they significantly reduce air pollution, shrink carbon footprint, and contribute to a cleaner nature for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. Additionally, new lines and stations boost the economic vitality of every region they touch; increase property values, create new employment areas, and stimulate trade. In summary, rail systems are the indispensable infrastructure of 21st century cities on the axis of speed, safety, comfort, and sustainability. With this understanding and vision, as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, we continue our urban rail system investments uninterruptedly across all corners of our country."
"TOTAL RAIL SYSTEM LINE LENGTH IN ISTANBUL REACHED 180 KM" Stating that with the line to be opened tomorrow, the length of rail system lines brought to Istanbul by the ministry has reached 180 kilometers, Minister Uraloğlu said, "With the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section that we will inaugurate tomorrow, we, as the ministry, have built 452 kilometers of the 1,058-kilometer urban rail system network in our country. Currently, construction of 116 kilometers of new lines continues. Additionally, 283 kilometers of new lines are in the planning stage. As I mentioned earlier, the way to permanently relieve Istanbul's traffic is undoubtedly a strong rail system network. Accordingly, with the century’s project Marmaray and the Gebze-Halkalı Commuter Line, together with the Gayrettepe-Kağıthane-Istanbul Airport Arnavutköy section, Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme Rail System Line, Levent-Hisarüstü Metro, Pendik-Sabiha Gökçen Airport Metro, Başakşehir-Çam and Sakura City Hospital-Kayaşehir Metro, Bakırköy Sahil-Bahçelievler-Güngören-Bağcılar Kirazlı Metro, and the 22-kilometer Halkalı-Arnavutköy section to be inaugurated tomorrow, the total rail system line length brought to Istanbul by our ministry has reached 180 kilometers. Now, our metro trains flow powerfully, quickly, and proudly through the veins of this ancient city, carrying blood to Istanbul’s heart, soul, and future."
"WORK CONTINUES ON AN ADDITIONAL 11 KILOMETERS OF LINE" Uraloğlu emphasized that work continues on an additional 11 kilometers of line, stating, "We have put into service one after another the most unique and respected urban rail system projects in the world that strengthen Istanbul's urban transportation network, and we continue to introduce new ones. Currently, along with our 4.5-kilometer Altunizade-Çamlıca Mosque-Bosna Boulevard Metro Line and the 6.3-kilometer Yavuztürk-Kazım Karabekir-Topağacı-Ümraniye Sports Village Rail System Line, which will extend this line to Ümraniye Sports Village, work continues on approximately 11 kilometers of line. When these lines are completed, the total line length built by our ministry across Istanbul will reach approximately 191 kilometers. We realized the 69-kilometer Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport-Halkalı Metro project, consisting of 16 stations, by centering Istanbul Airport and working on two separate branches: the 37.5-kilometer Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport and the 31.5-kilometer Halkalı-Istanbul Airport Metro. We had put the 47-kilometer section of our line, which will provide uninterrupted connection from Gayrettepe to Halkalı, into service for Istanbul citizens in previous years."
"WE WILL START TRAVELING BETWEEN HALKALI AND ISTANBUL AIRPORT IN 30 MINUTES" Sharing information about the travel times between stations, Minister Uraloğlu said, "Now, friends, with the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section we will inaugurate tomorrow, we have completed one of Turkey's longest and fastest and one of the world's longest metro lines, entirely underground at 69 km in length. This final section is 22 km long and includes 5 new stations: Ibn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, and Olimpiyatköy stations within Başakşehir boundaries, and Halkalı Stadium and Halkalı stations within Küçükçekmece boundaries. With the completion of these stations, we have provided integration at Kayaşehir Station with the Bakırköy-Kirazlı-Başakşehir-Kayaşehir Metro, at Olimpiyatköy Station with the Ataköy-İkitelli-Olimpiyat Metro, at Halkalı Stadium Station with the under-construction Kabataş-Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey-Bahçeşehir-Esenyurt Metro, and at Halkalı Station with High-Speed Train lines, the Halkalı-Bahçeşehir Commuter Line, the Yenikapı-Kirazlı-Halkalı Metro, and Marmaray. Thanks to these integrations, we will start traveling between Halkalı and Istanbul Airport in 30 minutes, Halkalı-Göktürk in 43 minutes, Halkalı-Kağıthane in 54 minutes, Halkalı-Gayrettepe in 57 minutes, Küçükçekmece-Kemerburgaz in 50 minutes, and Başakşehir (Metrokent)-Kağıthane in 48 minutes."
Now, approximately 1.5 million Istanbul residents living in Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece will also be able to travel directly between Halkalı and Gayrettepe. They will gain the ability to reach almost anywhere in Istanbul from all stations through Marmaray all the way to Gebze. Especially our citizens who want to reach the metropolis during commuting hours and are stuck in traffic during the intense morning and evening hours will travel with a comfortable, fast, and safe rail system. Additionally, in the projection until 2043, our line will save 117 million hours of time spent on the roads, thus our total economic gain from factors such as highway maintenance, operation, and time savings will be 935 million euros.
"A PROJECT WITH MANY FIRSTS AND BESTS" Uraloğlu, emphasizing the domestic and national systems used in rail systems, said, "We are talking about a project that is not only the fastest metro in our country but also has many other features that are 'firsts' and 'bests'. You will remember some of them. For example, we built Gayrettepe Station, the deepest metro in Turkey at 72 meters, within this project. For the first time in Turkey, we used 10 TBMs simultaneously in a metro project. And we broke world records in TBM progress with 64.5 meters per day, 306 meters per week, and 1,233 meters per month of excavation. The technological infrastructure and vehicles of our Halkalı-Istanbul Airport-Gayrettepe Metro project also reflect our country's domestic and national production power. Because our project, with 69 km, is Turkey's longest metro line and also became Turkey's fastest and longest driverless line. For the first time, we used the signaling system developed by ASELSAN on this line with a project supported by our ministry using domestic and national resources, and the vehicles that will serve on our line are among the finest examples of our country's domestic and national production power. On our line, where we will operate a total of 100 metro vehicles consisting of 25 sets, the first 10 sets of our vehicles are produced with drivers, while the remaining 15 sets are produced entirely to driverless standards in Turkey. Again, our vehicles equipped with the domestic signaling system produced by ASELSAN have a design speed of 132 km per hour, will reach 120 km per hour in operation, and each set will have a passenger capacity of 1,142."
"WE ARE TRANSITIONING OUR OPERATION TO A FULLY AUTOMATIC DRIVERLESS SYSTEM" Minister Uraloğlu continued his remarks as follows: "As of tomorrow, with the completion of this line, we are transitioning our operation to a fully automatic driverless system. Thus, we will offer both higher capacity and higher safety and comfort. This project is not just a metro line. Like a ring in the heart of Istanbul's European side; it has become a magnificent work that connects its west with its east, its north with its south through an uninterrupted loop, strengthens the city's pulse, and tightly binds all its parts together. It is the most concrete example of a green and sustainable transportation vision that reduces vehicle traffic and improves the quality of life for our people. It is also a triumph of Turkish engineering and domestic and national technology. With the opening tomorrow, I thank all our contractor company employees, the valuable teams of our General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments, our engineers, technical personnel, and workers who contributed to the construction of this unique work we have brought to our Istanbul. With these thoughts, I wish that our 22-kilometer Halkalı-Arnavutköy section, which will be opened for service tomorrow, will be auspicious and beneficial for our Istanbul, our Istanbulites, and our country."