Proceedings of the 13

Meeting of the

Transport and Communications Working Group

In 2004 the tender was concluded and the contract signed with the Joint Venture consisting of

the Japanese company Taisei and the Turkish companies Gama and Nurol. In 2010 the land

tunnels and sea tunnels of the Marmaray BC1 Section, which consists of the Bosphorus tube

crossing, 13.6 km long railway line and 5 stations, were connected to each other. As the project

alignment passed through the Historical Peninsula and archaeological and urban protected

areas, archaeological excavation works were the biggest concern during the construction work

due to the delays they caused to the project. In 2012 the track works, station civil works, and

archaeological excavations were completed. On 29 October 2013, the Marmaray BC1 Section

which consists of the Bosphorus Tube Tunnel Crossing and 5 stations was opened to operations.

With the successful completion of the construction, testing and commissioning periods of the

CR3 section, the 63 km long Commuter and High-Speed Train lines and 38 stations were opened

to operations on 12.03.2019.

Moreover, Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU expressed that the Marmaray Project has a 100-year design life.

Immersed Tunnel, TBM Bored Tunnel, NATM Tunnel, and Cut & Cover Tunnel methods were

used together in the Marmaray Project. The Electrification System is provided by a 25 kV AC

Overhead Catenary System. CBTC and ETCS Level 1 were used in the Signalling System. The

speed of the trains online used by High-Speed Trains is 100 km/h and on the commuter line 80

km/h. The design, construction, and testing processes under the Marmaray Project have been

conducted in accordance with European and American standards, providing quality and safety.

Lastly, Ms. TAVŞANOĞLU briefed the main benefits of the Marmaray Project as followings;



Providing long-term, sustainable solution to the transportation problems of Istanbul,



Direct connection of the railway system between Asia and Europe; uninterrupted

passenger and freight transportation across the Bosphorus,



Reducing impacts of Traffic in the Historical Peninsula,



Reducing congestion on the existing Bosphorus Bridges,



Supporting intercity railway transportation by providing an additional track reserved

specifically for intercity trains,



Decreasing pollution and CO2 release,



Decreasing travel time for more than 1 million people every day.