President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday inaugurated the Başakşehir-Kayaşehir metro line in Istanbul with which the rail network of the metropolis has reached 325,5 kilometers (over 200 miles), he said.
Erdoğan spoke at the opening of the Kayaşehir metro station, which was completed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry, which overtook the project from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).
He noted that the ministry had completed 130 kilometers of metro lines in Istanbul, and continued work on five more metro lines equalling 55 kilometers. In the end, the rail network of Istanbul, which has reached 325 kilometers with the latest opening, will surpass 380 kilometers, Erdoğan noted.
"Over 50% of Istanbul's rail network will have been completed by our Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure," he said.
"Some people only talk, some do. Some serve. We have never been like those who talk with no action, we are people of action."
The Başakşehir-Kayaşehir metro line, which has a capacity of 1 million passengers daily, adds four new metro stations to Istanbul's rail network.
Trains designed to travel 80 kilometers per hour can serve 70,000 passengers per hour in one direction, according to Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu. Başakşehir-Kayaşehir metro line will connect the rest of the city with Çam and Sakura City Hospital.
This project also allows the region to reach the airport by metro. Travel time between Metrokent and Özgürlük Square (Bakırköy) is 29 minutes, between Metrokent and Istanbul Airport is 24 minutes, and 23 minutes between Çam and Sakura City Hospital-Bakırköy (Kirazlı).
