19.10.2026 11:40
A date has been announced for the Mecidiyeköy-Çağlayan section of Istanbul’s M7 Yıldız-Mahmutbey metro line, which was closed to transport on April 27 because water leaking into the tunnel damaged the rails. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) City Council Member Onur Özyurt announced that normal services in Mecidiyeköy are planned to resume in the second week of December. On the line, which carries an average of 250,000 passengers per day, services have been running with transfers and partly on a single track for about 6 months.
The schedule has been set for ending the disruption that has been ongoing for months on M7, one of Istanbul's busiest metro lines. Work in the tunnel between Mecidiyeköy and Çağlayan, where the repair tender has been completed, is targeted to finish in December, with the line aiming to return to uninterrupted service.
“WE PLAN TO OPEN IN THE SECOND WEEK OF DECEMBER”
Speaking at the October session of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Council, İBB Council Member Onur Özyurt said that the repair tender had been completed after technical inspection and damage assessment. Özyurt said, “We plan to reopen the existing station in the second week of December.” It was stated that the opening schedule depends on the progress of the tunnel repair work being carried out by the contractor company.
WATER SEEPING INTO THE TUNNEL DAMAGED THE RAILS
A sudden increase in groundwater flow in the switch area in the tunnel between Mecidiyeköy and Çağlayan caused damage to a section of the rails. İBB Deputy Secretary-General Pelin Alpkökin had announced that deformation was detected in the rails after heavy rains in April. The relevant tunnel section was closed to traffic on April 27 for safety reasons.
Alpkökin had noted that the line's tunnels were built in 2015-2016 and that a similar repair was needed in 2021. In a statement in July, Alpkökin said that Mecidiyeköy was targeted to start accepting passengers again at full capacity toward the end of 2026.
SERVICES ARE OPERATING WITH TRANSFERS
During repair work, services on the M7 line continue in split sections. Normal services are operated on double track between Mahmutbey and Nurtepe. Shuttle services are arranged on single track between Nurtepe-Çağlayan and Mecidiyeköy-Yıldız. In the closed section, passengers are transported by İETT's free bus services. Passengers boarding at Nurtepe are taken to Mecidiyeköy Square, while passengers heading toward Nurtepe can board buses from stops in Mecidiyeköy.
KABATAŞ EXTENSION IN 2027
İBB forecasts that the line's extension covering Beşiktaş and Kabataş stations will open in 2027. With the completion of the extension, the line's length will increase to 24.5 kilometers and the number of stations to 19. İBB Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan also announced that 104 of the 300 new trains ordered will serve on the M7 line. According to Aslan's statement, the line's capacity will increase by 130 percent, and the first deliveries will be made in the second half of 2027.