Istanbul’s transportation network is one of the strongest transportation networks in the developed world, which has received great attention from the Turkish government, that has striven to develop and expand the transportation network to fit with Istanbul’s growing importance and with the population growth that the city is witnessing in its various regions.
Istanbul transportation network:
The transportation network in Istanbul is characterized by its expansion to include the entire area of the city in addition to its great diversity and high absorptive capacity. Continuously developed and modernized, because the advanced infrastructure in a country reflects the modernity and development of this country, and as a city crowded with foreigners from tourists and investors, it was necessary to pay more attention to the best image of the infrastructure in Istanbul and its most important aspects, which is to secure a comfortable and fast transition between the various areas of Istanbul. Also, the Turkish government has sought to reduce the population congestion centered in the center of Istanbul to expand it to new places such as Basaksehir, Arnavutkoy, Kayasehir, which are the areas near the new Istanbul airport. It is one of the most important investment areas that will be very popular by investors of various types of investments, and more and more real estate investment, as the number of foreign investors began to increase in these areas and is expected to double with the start of work at Istanbul’s third airport
The transportation network in Istanbul is characterized by its ability to connect its various regions with each other, especially the remote areas on the outskirts that connect them with the city center, in addition to linking the areas of the Asian section of Istanbul with the areas of the European section. It is also characterized by its great diversity in terms of land and sea transportation, and also each type of it varies into more and wider options that suit various financial capabilities.
The government has taken care of the technological aspect, which has become a necessity at the present time, so it has allocated many official phone applications that make it easier for residents to know the dates of trips for various types of transportation, in addition to determining their routes, their costs, and all the stations at which they will stop, so that the traveler has a clear picture of all the details of his trip before he starts out.
Istanbul Card:
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Istanbul Card, or if you are a tourist or are planning to visit Istanbul, you must have received a recommendation to buy the Istanbul Card, as it is a card dedicated to the use of various types of transportation in the city of Istanbul that depends on the prepaid system and part of the balance is deducted every time a means of transportation is used, the card holder passes it on a device dedicated to reading it next to the driver. This type of card covers more than 90% of land and sea transportation, so do not forget to buy an Istanbul Card upon your arrival in Istanbul, which is sold near the main parking of transmission lines in places designated for selling cards.
Istanbul Card types:
To help you choose the best card for your stay in Istanbul, we will mention the many types of Istanbul card with the purpose of each of them:
-Ordinary card:
It can be obtained from the places designated for selling the cards. Its price is lower in private centers than in government centers, and the exact same amount is deducted every time the card is used.
-Monthly subscription card:
The card is purchased and charged with a specific monthly subscription amount as well. This type is suitable for use 180 times and is used for all types of transportation in Istanbul.
-Free Istanbul Card:
The card allows its holder to move around Turkey without paying any fees, and this type is granted to the elderly, the military and their families, families of war martyrs, athletes and the disabled at a rate of 40%.
Istanbul Card is used for many other services other than transportation services such as entering parks, museums, parks and other facilities.
Transportation cost in Istanbul:
Transportation in Istanbul is divided into two types: public transportation, represented by public buses, metro, metrobus, tramway, sea ferries, and the Marmaray train. These transportations follow directly to the state, which supervises and determines the cost of transportation in each of them.
As for private means of transportation, such as dolmuc and taxis, which are owned by individuals, the state also organizes their work and determines the costs incurred by individuals when using them.
Diversity of the transportation network in Istanbul:
Below, we will mention the many types of transportation network in Istanbul in all their forms:
– public buses:
More than 800 lines are dedicated to 6000 public buses in Istanbul. It is one of the most popular means of transportation, which is widely spread in Istanbul, because it is one of the most economical types of transportation that suits everyone. It depends on the Istanbul Card as a means of payment, and it is one of the public means that the competent authorities in the country supervise in determining the dates and costs of its flights, but it suffers from congestion during the peak period for that. It is better to rely on the official application dedicated to buses in Istanbul to schedule trips accurately.
-Subway:
One of the best means of transportation in Istanbul, the fastest and most developed, and it works for an extended time from eight in the morning to twelve at night, and its capacity per day reaches 2 million and 500 thousand passengers. It is one of the types of transportation that impressed foreigners with its strength and diversity, and Istanbul alone includes 8 metro lines. They cover most of its areas and reaches a length of 275 km, and the Turkish government is working to establish more lines with a length of 180 km, in addition to its plan to reach a length of 831 km by the end of 2028.
Metro lines in Istanbul:
As we mentioned, there are 8 metro lines in Istanbul, and we mention them:
-The M1 metro line connects YeniKapi Station and Ataturk International Airport Station, and it is one of the lines in the European section of Istanbul.
-The M2 metro line connects YeniKapi station with Haji Osman station and also from the lines in the European section of Istanbul.
-The M3 metro line connects the two stations of Kirazli and Basaksehir, located in the European section of Istanbul.
-The M4 metro line connects Kadikoy Station and Taushan Tepe Station, which is located in the Asian side of Istanbul.
-The M5 metro line, which connects Uskudar and Sikmakoy station in the Asian side of Istanbul.
-The M6 metro line connects the line between Levent Station and Bogazici University Station in the European section of Istanbul.
-The M7 metro line connects Sisli with Mecidiyekoy Station and Mahmutbey Station in the European section of Istanbul.
-The M9 metro line connects Olympiat Station and Bahria station in Basaksehir, which is located in the European section of Istanbul, this line is planned to be extended to reach Atakoy.
The metro is one of the most important means of transportation that achieves the greatest connection between the various regions of Istanbul, with its European and Asian parts, and it is also one of the most comfortable and fastest means.
Tramway:
The tramway operates through railways distributed throughout the city of Istanbul. This type of transportation depends on the use of electric power. There are 5 tram lines in Istanbul, which are characterized by their ability to transport large numbers of passengers, amounting to two million passengers per day. Tram is considered one of the popular means of transportation for tourists, which provides them with transportation to the most important tourist areas and historical monuments located in the various regions of Istanbul.
Tram lines in Istanbul:
Below we will mention the names of the tramway lines located throughout Istanbul, specifying the path of each of them:
-The T1 tram line is located on the European side of Istanbul and connects between Kabatas and Bagcilar.
-The T2 tram line is also located in the European section of Istanbul and connects Taksim and Tunal.
-The T3 tram line is one of the lines of the Asian section of Istanbul, which connects Kadikoy and Muttachari.
-The T4 tram line is one of the lines of the European section of Istanbul, which connects Topkapi and Al-Salam Mosque.
-The T5 tram line runs in the European part of Istanbul and connects Cepali with the Golden Horn and Alibeykoy Station.
The tramway is one of the public means of transportation that is followed in organizing its trips and determining their costs to the competent departments in the country.
Metro-bus:
It is one of the largest and most extended means of transportation in Istanbul and the most extended one depends in its path on the E5 highway. The metro-bus is one of the means of transportation that has a special route among other means, and therefore it is not affected by traffic congestion. The number of passengers that secures its daily transportation reaches one million and 500 thousand passengers per day. It connects European Istanbul at its station in Beylikduzu and Asian Istanbul at SogutluCesme Station, The most important thing that distinguishes the metro-bus is that it operates 24 hours a day and does not stop like other means of transportation, such as the metro line, which ends at twelve o’clock at night.
Marmaray Train:
One of the means of transportation that determines its tracks with the railway lines spread in Istanbul, which links between European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul. The Marmaray train line in Istanbul extends from Gebze Station in the Asian section of Istanbul through the sea tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait to its station in Sirkeci area in the Asian section in Istanbul and then extended to the Zeytinburnu area to the Halkali area west of Istanbul. The Marmaray train line is distinguished by its intersection with the metro lines in Istanbul, allowing passengers to have wider access to various areas of Istanbul in addition to its intersection with marine transport stations, the meter track and the bus located on the the E5 road, the transport fares for the Marmaray train vary according to the number of stations cut, which are determined by the Turkish state.
– Ships and ferries:
One of the means of maritime transport that is of wide importance in the city of Istanbul, especially for tourists who come a lot to the coastal areas, and these means link between the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, and there are 5 ports on the coasts of the European section of Istanbul, and we mention the most important stations:
*Kabatas Station
*Eminonu Station
*Besiktas Station
*Yenikapi Station
*Avcilar Station
These are the stations on the European side of Istanbul. As for the stations on the Asian side, they are:
*Kadikoy Station
*Uskudar station.
*Haydarpaşa station
*Bostanci station.
Shipping lines in Istanbul:
There are many sea transport lines that connect Istanbul with other Turkish provinces. This type of ferry is distinguished by its speed and long way over regular ferries, which gives passengers more enjoyment of the landscape. It is also faster than regular ferries. These ferries move between two major ports and pay their tariffs directly through the assigned ports., the Istanbul Ferry Company allocates a special official website in order to book appointments for passengers on its flights.
It is considered one of the preferred means of transportation for tourists who come to enjoy a cruise in the most beautiful areas of Istanbul.
-Mini-buses or dolmus:
It resembles small yellow taxis that operate on a daily basis, even on Sunday, from early morning until midnight. It is considered one of the private means of transportation that is owned by individuals, but the government is interested in determining its tariff and organizing its routes, but it is one of the economic means of transportation that is characterized by low tariffs, in which payment is made in cash, not using a card, but passengers on Dolmush buses suffer from overcrowding, especially at peak times of the day.
– Taxi:
It is a private means of transportation that is owned by individuals and not by the state. It is considered one of the high-cost means of transportation and is distinguished by its yellow color. It is spread throughout Istanbul and its users can move comfortably to various regions without the need to adhere to a flight schedule or mandatory stops.
But one of the disadvantages of taxis in Istanbul is that the cost of use is not adjusted appropriately, which exposes users to the risk of being defrauded by taxi drivers who exaggerate the cost or as a result of choosing a longer route that entails an additional cost.
However, there are many taxi companies that regulate the work of their cars and protect their customers from fraud by allocating special applications that allow them to order a taxi with specifying the starting and ending point, and then the application will determine the cost directly.
-Private car:
Istanbul residents can also move around by their own cars, which provide them with comfortable transportation freely.
Transportation applications in Istanbul:
Below we will mention the most common applications approved by the Turkish government in Istanbul, which allow its users to specify the means of transportation, specify the date, identify the routes, stations and the cost involved, which are:
Istanbul Card Application:
An additional advantage of this application is that it allows its user to determine the remaining balance in his card account, in addition to the possibility of recharging the card.
-mobiet app
The official application for the use of public buses of all kinds located in the city of Istanbul. The application allows its users to know the way to go to a place in Istanbul and the numbers of the buses that transport him on his way, and to determine the stations near his location with the times of bus traffic, and it is one of the very important applications for tourists and foreigners who do not have complete knowledge of the city.
-trafi app
The application helps its users to know the timings of the trips of the various means of transportation like the metro, metrobus, ferries, and others.
One of the most important features of the transportation network in Istanbul is the overlap between the various lines and paths of the different means of transportation, which achieves the widest spread and the possibility of reaching the various regions of Istanbul.
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