Metro Istanbul is composed of multiple lines that are integrated with each other. There are a lot of public transportation choices in Istanbul from tram, metro, Marmaray to funicular.
Istanbul has two sides and you can use Marmaray metro to cross to the other side and with connections to other metro lines. Metro Istanbul operates between 06.00 – 00.00 hours. There are 7 metro lines in Istanbul; 5 of them are located in the European side and 2 of them are in the Asian side.
Marmaray metro is of the main ways to cross between shores. Marmaray, built under the Bosporus, is a long line between Halkali on the European side and Gebze on the Asian side. There are 43 stations on the Halkali – Gebze metro line. 15 of these stations are located on the European Side, while the remaining 28 stations are on the Asian Side.
M1A Yenikapi- Ataturk Airport metro line constitutes the first part of the M1 facility; it starts from Yenikapi integration zone, passes through Bayrampasa district and reaches to Otogar Station. Following the direction of Merter, passing through Zeytinburnu and extending to Ataturk Airport, the M1A line connects the fatih & yenikapi regions to the Ataturk airport & CNR fairgrounds. There are 18 stations. You can transfer to Marmaray, M2 Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line and T1 Bagcilar – Kabatas tram line from Yenikapi integration stations.
M1B Yenikapi-Kirazlı metro line is operated jointly between Yenikapi and Otogar stations of the M1A line. Separating from the Otogar Station, the line passes through Esenler and Bagcilar Square and ends in Kirazli station. There are 13 stations. You can transfer to M3 Kirazli – Olimpiyat – Basaksehir metro line from Kirazli station.
M2 Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line has 16 stations. You can transfer to T1 Bagcilar – Kabatas tram line from Vezneciler- Istanbul University station, to T2 Istiklal street in Taksim tram line and F2 Karakoy – Beyoglu historical tunnel line from Sishane station, to F1 Kabatas funicular from Taksim station and to M6 metro line from Levent station.
M6 Levent – Bogazici University/ Hisarustu metro line provides access to Bogazici University and to Hisarustu region for passengers coming through the M2 Yenikapi – Haciosman metro line.
M3 Kirazli-Olimpiyat-Basaksehir metro line operates between Kirazli Station and Basaksehir / Metrokent stations. There is a transfer from Ikitelli Sanayi Station to the shuttle in the direction of the Olimpiyat Station. There are 11 stations.
M4 Kadikoy -Tavsantepe metro line is located in the Asian side of Istanbul; it starts from Kadikoy district and sits on the D100 route in Acibadem region and follows this route until Tavsantepe district. There are 19 stations at this line. You can transfer to T3 Kadikoy – Moda tram line from Kadikoy station and to Marmaray metro from Ayrilik Cesmesi station.
M5 Uskudar-Cekmekoy line is the second metro line on the Asian side of Istanbul; it starts from Uskudar Square, passes through Umraniye county town and ends at Çekmekoy Square. There are 16 stations in the line. You can transfer to Marmaray metro from Uskudar station.
Istanbul Ankara high speed train is an easy way to travel between Ankara and Istanbul by fast train Istanbul Ankara HST is operated on the same line of Marmaray metro. tickets for the journey can be booked online or through Kadikoy & Pendik stations on the asian side of istanbul. the journey is a 556 km and it takes 4.30 hours with stops in between the journey.
There are also new metro line projects and line extension projects; M11 Gayrettepe – Istanbul Airport metro line is being constructed as the first stage of the Gayrettepe-YHL-Halkali metro line, it will be built to provide access to the Istanbul Airport from the city center. M4 Tavsantepe-Sabiha Gokcen metro line is the extension of the existing M4 Kadikoy-Tavsantepe metro line that will go to Sabiha Gokcen Airport after Tavsantepe station.
written by: Melisa Karayusufoglu / image: AA