Established: 1988
Address: Ferhatpaşa Metro Tesisleri, 34200 Esenler/Istanbul
Number of Employees: 3050
Capital: USD 20,000,000.-
Share holders: İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Municipal companies and agencies (İETT, İDO A.Ş., İSBAK A.Ş., The İstanbul Education, Culture and Tourism Services Corp.)
Objectives
Traffic problem is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems that the city of Istanbul and its people face. The continuous increase in the population and number of motor vehicles make the city traffic in İstanbul a nightmare. Public transportation in the city is carried out by rubber-tired vehicles (buses, minibuses, taxis, and private automobiles) to a large extent.Although this pressure on the city traffic has been somehow lessened by the alternative measures, new projects are essential. As in other metropolitan cities of the world, the best solution to the rising transport demand in Istanbul would be the railway system.
Istanbul Transportation Corp. (İSTANBUL ULAŞIM A.Ş.), an enterprise of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was established in 1988 with the objective of contributing to the solution of the city’s traffic and environmental pollution problems, the company was given the duty to alleviate the city traffic congestion by operating rail transport systems and engaging in all transportation activities within the city.
Taking this mission as the starting point, İSTANBUL ULAŞIM A.Ş. tries to spread the rail system and make it effective, thereby contributing to the solution of the traffic congestion and environmental pollution. At present ULAŞIM A.Ş. operates two railway systems. One is a light metro line, running through the districts of Aksaray, Otogar, Yenibosna.
The other is a tram line, running through the districts of Eminönü, Aksaray, Topkapi, Zeytinburnu. At these two lines the company carries 300-350 thousand passengers daily.As an Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality enterprise she is also providing co-ordination services for the Istanbul Metro Project currently.
The Infrastructure and Rail System Operations of the Company
ULAŞIM A.Ş. has 250 vehicles used in her rail systems. The company’s activities within the rail system comprises three elements: metro (underground), light metro, and tram.
Metro:
The construction of the metro began in 1992 and is planned to begin operation in April 2000. The 7.6 km-long line runs through the districts of Taksim, Osmanbey, Şişli, Gayrettepe, Levent, 4. Levent. There are 6 stations at these points. The journey time between the two main stations (Taksim-4. Levent) is 12 minutes, with trains departing every 5 minutes. Passenger capacity is 70,000 persons/hour-one way. The cost f this project is $ 550 million.
The metro system constitutes the most important part of the rail transport system in the city, since it runs underground and thus does not upset the texture of the city. Neither does it cause noise and environmental pollution.
Test journeys were done in Taksim-4. Levent metro line in March 1999, and by Spring 2000 the line will fully start operating, and will contribute to the solution of traffic and public transportation problems of these commercially intense districts. It is also an important fact that the construction cost of $ 550 million has been met by the company’s own resources.
While the Taksim-4. Levent line is about to go into service, construction of the second phase has also got underway. The excavation work for the Taksim-Yenikapı line is currently in progress. The line will be 5.3 km long being connected to the existing light metro system as well. The estimated cost of the excavation and construction of the line is $ 180 million.
The Light Metro:
The existing light metro system connecting the major districts of Aksaray-Otogar-Esenler-Yenibosna is 18 km long with its 15 stations. The first phase of the line was opened in 1989, and subsequently the current extensions have been made. The journey takes 26 minutes and the trains depart every 4 minutes.
The maximum passenger capacity is 24,000 an hour-one way; the current capacity being 16,000 an hour. (The number of passengers riding daily between Aksaray and Yenibosna is 160,000-180,000 on average). 450 journeys take place between 06:00 a.m. and 24:00 p.m.
The Tram Line:
The tram line between Eminönü and Zeytinburnu districts is 11.2 km long and has 20 stations. Departures are every 2.5 minutes, totalling 450 departures daily. The journey between the two main stations takes 40 minutes. The tram runs between 05:30 a.m. and 24:00 p.m. Number of passengers carried daily is between 140,000-160,00 (passenger capacity Per hour is 12,000-one way). And the total investment value of the system is $ 10 million. Because the tram runs within the road traffic, there is a signalisation system with clearance priority for the former. The operation of the tram is managed from the command center by wireless.
ULAŞIM A.Ş.’ List of Recent Activities:
The company has been transformed form being a company in debt into a profiting one thanks to effective use of financial and human resources.
With her investments, and rail system projects, and as an operator of the rail transport system the company is on the way to become the leader in Turkey in her field. The company entered into a process of reconstruction beginning in 1994.
As a result, more effective use of a high technology based system has come about, bringing increases in quality as well. While 110,000 passengers were carried daily in 1993, the figure reached 300,000 today.
The potential capacity of carrying advertisement in trains of the light metro and tram systems has made to bring revenues for the company, which did not exist previously.
With the introduction of the smart ticket system ticketing costs have been reduced considerably. Improvements have been made in the tram line, costing the company 4 million DM. In a joint project carried out with the electronics company Aselsan, an exclusive radio system for ULAŞIM A.Ş. has been developed. 90 % of spare parts used in the maintenance of the system and of vehicles are procured locally, thus bringing about 80 % saving in spare parts expenditure. The use of the smart ticket has been encouraged. 60 % of passengers now use this electronic ticket. The renewal of stations of the tram line is underway at present. Instead of paper tickets the use of coins has been introduced, thus preventing ticket frauds. Environmental recreation has been completed along the tram line. A prototype tram car conforming to international standards was built in March 1999, and has been used in the last eight months for trial.
New Projected
Extension of the light metro line from Yenibosna to the Airport:
This is a 1.8 km line with two stations. The construction has began. The cost will be $ 5 million.
Harem-Kartal Rail System:
The project has been prepared. It will be built along the E-5 highway. It will be 22 km long with 15 stations. The cost is $ 250 million.
Üsküdar-Ümraniye Rail System:
Project in preparation for this 11 km long line, which will be quite costly ($ 600 million).
Vezneciler-Sultançiftliği Tram Line:
This is expected to be a 23 km long surface tram line. Feasibility study is being carried out for this $ 150 million project
Zeytinburnu-Bağcılar Tram Line:
Feasibility study is underway for this 8 km long and $ 50 million project.
Taksim-Kabataş Rail Tunnel:
A 500 meters long single tunnel is estimated to carry 10,000 passengers an hour. The investment cost is $ 7-8 million.
Taksim-Yenikapı Metro Line:
5.3 km long; 5 stations; construction cost is $ 180 million.
Otogar-Atışalanı-İkitelli Light Metro Line:
13 km long; project is partially prepared construction cost $ 100 million; construction time is two years.
Integration of Public Transport in İstanbul:
İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality aims at integrating the public transportation means under her auspices. The objective of this integration is to render all of the transport means in accord with each other in terms of departure points and times, and to co-ordinate them under a common ticketing system. Separate transport companies in the
city like İETT (city bus operator), Deniz İşletmeleri (sea transport company owned by the central government), Istanbul Sea Buses Company, the Turkish State Rail, and Istanbul Transport Corp.
Provide public transport in Istanbul. The use of smart ticket in all these transport means will facilitate their integration.
For further information please visit
www.istanbul-ulasim.com.tr