edisg

Where did you see late 2019 as an opening date for the metro line? The airport company has said that they're on track to open it at the same time as the airport opening just as consistently as they've maintained that they're on track to open the airport on October 29. I just ask because I've never seen the late 2019 figure myself and I'd be curious to see the source. I can't imagine the airport letting it slip that they will be late even if they really were!

hfly

AFAIK the company building the Metro has never hit any of its opening dates. Ever.

edisg

Oh, so is it not the same Limak/Kalyon consortium building the airport? I just assumed it was because building the metro connection in tandem with the airport is a condition of their BOT agreement, just as "completing" phase 1 of the airport (whatever that might mean) is.

Do you know who the company which is building the metro is?

hfly

I thought Asfaldi was involved. Their record for late projects was of course the Bolu tunnel which I believe was delivered something like 17 years late. The tender for the new airport line was only awarded in 2017, what do you think?


This is the pattern for the opening of all Metro lines in Istanbul since the first one. They announce a date, The date changes, for a reason beyond anyone's control - then when it finally opens, a politico comes, rides into the station and makes a speech. It then promptly shuts down for at least six month, at best they "test" it for 6-12 months whereby people can maybe ride one stop for awhile. Maybe then after 6-12 months there is limited service that maybe reaches a third of the line with the rest of the line opened in stages over the next 2-3 years.

Sinter

https://railturkey.org/2017/04/06/tl...w-metro-lines/

Closest I could find to providing a concrete date. I assume they plan to have certain stations open sooner, as hfly mentioned probably Gayretteppe straight to the airport, but the full line completion is scheduled for 2022. The author notes in the comment section, the 45% completion rate was the goal by the end of 2017 for the line. As the article was written in April, more delays are certainly possible.

tcmb99

I am sorry but you are completely wrong on this point hfly. The third bridge and parts of the highway open now directs all trucks and buses from the enterance of Istanbul at SAW on one side and takes them to Mahmutbey which is the other side, eliminating all truck and heavy vehicle traffic from within the city. now i don't know which part of Istanbul you live in, but as someone who has been using the second bridge and going to Gebze my whole life for the past 20 years I pray to whoever built that highway, and I don't even use the 3rd bridge but I use the new highway. It shaves 20 minutes everyday minimum each way from my commute, not to mention that from Kavacik you can now by-pass all traffic to head straight to SAW airport in 25 minutes. Also the trucks were a nightmare when their hour restrictions were lifted every night and you had to deal with incredible truck traffic at the second bridge until 1am. I remember when TEM was first built people complained about how empty and useless it was, and you can make the same argument about this highway being underused and not generating enough "numbers" but I can see that it has already done wonders for the traffic. And as much as I know it is already built so that it can be connected to the new Airport whenever that airport opens. I have now probably done at least 50,000 kms on the new highway so I can speak from experience.

Speaking of Marmaray I am sure you are aware there were thousand year old historical artifacts on the construction site which had to be removed properly so I think it is unfair to blame the delays on the construction company.

Istanbul is a very old city which has been very slow to start building metro lines and a decent infrastructure but I doubt anyone can argue now that it is being built at a rapid pace which most people I talk to are very happy about.

This whole Istanbul Airport thread is pure speculation at this point with two sides making lots of arguments to come back one day and say "I told you so", personally I hope it opens on time, and can't understand why people would get mad at each other about something they have no control over.

hfly

tcmb, I have no idea about Gebze (for those who do not know, another city about 90 kilometers East of Istanbul. That is really not what I or any people on here would be talking about, quite frankly means nothing to me about SAW either as I am Europeansider and can count the amount of times I have flown into or out of SAW on two hands, which makes maybe less than half a percent of my IST trips, furthermore as Istanbul residents from the Asian side that use SAW make up more than 90% of its users this is immaterial. The big issue with the Northern Marmara highway is the fact that it dors not exist in great distance on teh EUROPEAN SIDE (you know where the new airport is being built and currently and will for the next several years (at least) dumps all its traffic back on the TEM around Mahmutbey (and viceversa) which until it is built negates the main point of this bridge and its highways. In fact this highway tender was only just granted, a year and a half AFTER the opening of the bridge. They were supposed to originally have been done at the same time. What has been built may be of great convenience to Asia siders, that have to travel solely on the Asian side, but is useless to everyone else. Yes it will be connected to the airport. Of course it will, otherwise the new airport would essentially be connected essentially by lanes, and may be convenient to Asian siders at that point, but not to anyone else (great new highway for a few km to Gokturk, then that over congested access road, followed by gridlock on the TEM, and then depending on where you are going a possible traffic nightmare everywhere.

For those without knowledge of what I am talking about, using NY as an example, it would be like saying that if there were a new airport built in Hauppage Long Island, and that the roads are really good to East Hampton, but are terrible and nothing built to Manhattan.

I am very well aware about the archeological issues of the Marmaray. My question to you is where is the connecting rail system? There was an old but functioning above ground railway system that as you know ran from Kadikoy to Gebze (which you are familiar with) as well as Eminonu to Florya (IIRC) it was rundown but functioning. It was supposed to be renewed and connected to the Marmary, they ripped up the tracks, and ordered new rolling stock what, 8 years ago? Where is it? When will it be open? In another 2-3 years? About 11 years late?

While for most here this is a pretty academic subject, people who come through IST occasionally, for others it is important. For me its vital. an added hour each way to the airport will cost me literally several actual days of my life. I want it done well, with as little chaos as possible. As has been mentioned, every new airport in recent memory has had significant problems and has missed its date, the new IST should take its time, as once the politicians leave, and the operating company starts operating its BOT contract, they are not going to care if they make life a living hell for millions of travelers.

tcmb99

my point was about the fact that truck traffic now actually bypasses the city from SAW to Mahmutbey which covers almost all of Istanbul city limits and helps many people greatly. there are now no heavy vehicles within the city or the TEM and they need to pay an 800 lira fine if they use it. and most importantly trucks and buses can't use the 2nd bridge anymore. just wanted to correct you on that which is something you said did not exist. to say that the 3rd bridge and the new highway is irrelevant makes absolutely no sense as it eases traffic greatly on 2nd bridge used by millions of people, the bridge which was congested by truck traffic and turned it into a nightmare.

you need to remember that Istanbul is a city of 15 million people. Something that might feel like useless to you where you live might be extremely helpful to millions of people somewhere else. The same highway for example cut my trip to Ataturk airport by 40 minutes last month because there was an accident on TEM. And while it might not be important to you, SAW airport as you might know is a major airport now and many people on this board might be happy to now that they have a quicker way of getting to it through the new highway which you informed people was not complete and served no purpose. i know of many people living on the european side which fly from SAW regularly for both domestic and international flights so you not using it and claiming it serves only the people living on the Asian side also incorrect.

otherwise you are right, lets get back to the subject of the new airport. thats what this discussion is for, and there no need to talk about highways here.

hfly

we can get back to it, but the converse to what you are writing is that for those of us that regularly have to go in the other direction to Esenler or Corlu, or Bulgaria the situation is at best the same, or in fact worse, as all the stub of the new highway is done is dump all those trucks back on the exact same road (TEM) right at Textilkent, making it either the same hell or in fact worse for all involved.

gr8pirate

To the yay-sayers here:

most of the forum regulars here spend 1-2 weeks or more every year just airborne with TK, not counting time arriving early or in transit or exit. We really WANT the new airport to succeed and turn out amazing, making our lives a little easier as well.

Its just that the big press releases seem to have little factual backing, so we are skeptical in the face of what is actually presented.

Here’s a loudly-announced date that just passed without anything happening:

nocturne14

Out of curiousity, how long does it take to drive from current airport to new airport?

cln

around 45 minutes depending on traffic

gr8pirate

craigthemif

No traffic in Istanbul? Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

gr8pirate