Erdogan Inaugurates Istanbul Metro Linking City Center to Airport

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated the final segment of a major metro line, completing a 69-kilometer project that links Istanbul's core to its main airport. Erdogan hailed the Halkalı-Arnavutköy section as a completion of one of the longest metro lines globally. The new line significantly cuts travel time, reducing the journey from Halkalı to Istanbul Airport to about 30 minutes, and from Halkalı to the Gayrettepe business district to approximately 57 minutes. This rapid transit system, designed to reach speeds of up to 120 km/h, is now Turkey's fastest metro line and one of the world's longest airport connections.

The project is designed to enhance mobility for approximately 1.5 million residents in the Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece districts, providing direct access to the city center and the airport. The five new stations, İbn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, Olimpiyatköy, Halkalı Stadium, and Halkalı, serve as new hubs for urban movement. Erdogan emphasized the project's role in connecting the vast metropolis of 16 million people and nearly 20 million annual visitors.

Beyond its immediate transport function, the metro integrates seamlessly with Istanbul's extensive public transportation network, including the Marmaray line under the Bosphorus, high-speed trains, and other metro lines. This integration creates a unified, large-scale transport system. Notably, the project incorporates Turkey's domestically developed railway signaling system, produced by defense electronics firm Aselsan, reflecting Ankara's ambition to reduce reliance on foreign technology. Furthermore, the network operates on a fully automated, driverless system, with 15 of the 25 train sets manufactured to these standards.