page_title: Istanbul Metro
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Istanbul Metro / History
caption_attribution_description: Türkçe: İstanbul Raylı Sistem Haritası (Metro, Hafif Metro, Tramvay, Banliyö Trenleri, Metrobüs, Füniküler ve Teleferik) Dansk: Jernbanetransport i Istanbul Deutsch: Schienennahverkehr in Istanbul (Metro, Stadtbahn, Vorortzüge, Metrobüs, Standseilbahnen und Seilbahnen) English: Istanbul Rapid Transit Map (subway, tramway, suburban trains, Busway, funiculars and aerial tramways) فارسی: نقشه حمل و نقل ريلی استانبول Français&#160;: Réseau de transport public d'İstanbul (métro, tramway, RER, BHNS, funiculaires et télécabines) Hrvatski: Karta istanbulske željezničke mreže Bahasa Melayu: Rangkaian keretapi singgahan Istanbul Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Karta istanbulske željezničke mreže
context_page_description: The Istanbul Metro is a rapid transit railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It is operated by Metro Istanbul, a public enterprise, controlled by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The oldest section of the metro is the M1 line, which opened in 1989; it now includes 100 stations in service, with 64 more under construction.
  The system consists of six lines named M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 and the M6 Mini-Metro. More lines are under construction or planned: M8 will be on the Asian side, while M7, M9 will be on the European side.
  Istanbul Metro is connected with the underground systems of the Marmaray tunnel and the F1 funicular, and with the surface network of the T1 and T4 tram systems.
context_section_description: 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.
  In 1936 the French urban planner Henri Prost proposed a metro network between the districts of Taksim and Beyazıt, to the north and south of the Golden Horn, respectively. In October 1951 the Dutch firm Nedeco proposed a similar route between Taksim and Beyazıt, and in September 1952 the Director of the Paris Transportation Department, Marc Langevin, prepared a 14-chapter report together with his associate Louis Meizzonet for the implementation of the project and its integration with the other means of public transportation in the city. However, these plans never came into effect and all proposals were put on hold until 1987, when the planning for the current Istanbul Metro was made.
  Construction works for the first 'modern' mass transit railway system started in 1989. The M1 was initially called "Hafif Metro" (which literally translates as "light metro"). Although it was built as a fully grade separated line, the M1 line operates with shorter trainsets and shorter station platforms than is standard on a traditional metro line, hence its "light metro" designation. The M1 line was later extended from Aksaray towards the western suburbs, reaching Atatürk Airport in the southwest in 2002. Construction of the M2, began on September 11, 1992, but faced many challenges due to the numerous archaeological sites that were discovered during the drilling process, which slowed down or fully stopped the construction of many stations especially at south. Taking into account the seismic activity in Istanbul, the entire network was built with the cut-and-cover method  to withstand an earthquake of up to 9.0 on the Richter magnitude scale.
  The first section between Taksim and 4. Levent entered service, after some delays, on September 16, 2000. This line is 8.5 km (5.3 mi) long and has 6 stations, which all look similar but are in different colours. In 2000, there were 8 Alstom-built 4-car train sets in service, which ran every 5 minutes on average and transported 130,000 passengers daily. On January 30, 2009, the first train sets built by Eurotem entered service. Eurotem will build a total of 92 new wagons for the M2 line. As of January 30, 2009, a total of 34 trainsets, each with 4 cars, were being used on the M2 line. A northern extension from 4. Levent to Maslak was opened on January 30, 2009. On September 2, 2010 the northern (temporary) terminus Darüşşafaka followed. The southern extension of the M2 line from Taksim to Yenikapı, across the Golden Horn via Haliç station on the bridge and underground through the historic peninsula, entered service on 15 February 2014. The Taksim-Yenikapı extension is 5.2 km long, with four stations. The total cost of the extension was $593 million. At Yenikapı it will intersect with the extended M1 line and the Marmaray commuter line.
  The trip between the Şişhane station in Beyoğlu and the Haciosman station in Maslak is 20 km (12.4 mi) long and takes 27 minutes; including Şişhane - Taksim (1.65 km, 2 minutes), Taksim - 4. Levent (8.5 km, 12 minutes), and 4. Levent - Haciosman (8.1 km, 12 minutes.) The total length of the European side of the M2 line will reach 23 km (14.3 mi) when all 16 stations from Hacıosman to Yenikapı will be completed; not inclu
caption: Network map
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