The İzmir Metro (Turkish: İzmir Metrosu) is a light metro system serving the city of İzmir, Turkey. The current system, consisting of one line, starts from Kaymakamlık station in the southwestern portion of the metropolitan area and runs towards northeast to end at Evka-3 in Bornova. İzmir's metro line is 27-kilometre (17 mi) long, and serves 24 stations as of 4 March 2024.[4]

İzmir Metro
Çankaya station of the İzmir Metro
Çankaya station of the İzmir Metro
Overview
Native nameİzmir Metrosu
Ownerİzmir Metropolitan Municipality
Localeİzmir, Turkey
Transit typeLight metro
Number of lines1 (1 under construction)
Number of stations24
Daily ridership173,000[1]
Chief executiveAhmet Sinan Karakuzu
HeadquartersHalkapınar
Websiteİzmir Metro
Operation
Began operation22 April 2000
Operator(s)İzmir Metro A.Ş.
Number of vehicles182[2]
Train length120 metres (393 ft 8 in)
Headway4 min - Peak Hours 10 min - Max. Wait Time
Technical
System length27 km (17 mi)[3]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius of curvature75 metres (246 ft 1 in)
Electrification750 V DC Third rail, bottom contact
Average speed42 km/h (26 mph)
Top speed90 km/h (56 mph) (designed)
80 km/h (50 mph) (maximum permitted)
System map

Station announcement for Hilal station in Turkish and English

Overview

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By 1990, it was thought that the existing public transport system in Izmir could no longer support the growing population. A plan was thought of to build a rapid transit network by rail to cope with this. A contract was signed in 1993, and the handover was in 1994. Construction had begun in 1995 and it was completed successfully in around 4 years. In May 2000, the system came into public service. Up to that moment, the total cost of the system had been $US 600 million. Yapı Merkezi was the main contractor for all design and civil works (tunnels, bridges, viaducts, stations, tracks, infrastructure, depots and workshops) as well as the third-rail power system.

AdTranz was responsible for the rolling stock and the signalling, power-supply and communication systems. (ABB Traction was subsequently purchased by Daimler and became AdTranz only to be purchased later by Bombardier.) The Izmir Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) is tailor-made for the LRTS. It is 3.67 m (12 ft 0 in) high (from head of rail), 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in) wide, and 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in) long (over couplers) with a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). The maximum acceleration is 1 m/s/s (2.2 mph/s) with a seating capacity of 44 and a standing capacity of 140.

All LRVs are self-powered and the drive and braking systems (with wheel-slip protection) are controlled by on-board computer. A train consists of two to five vehicles with driver's cabin at each end. The LRV is a six-axle articulated unit with three bogies. The first and last bogies are powered while the articulated bogie is trailing. The auxiliary power system is based on a static converter-inverter, supplied from a 750 VDC third rail and supplying 3-phase x 400 VAC at 50 Hz for compressor, fans, lights, battery charging, etc. The 24 VDC battery system supplies the on-board computer as well as other safety systems such as automatic train control (ATC), train radio, passenger displays, emergency lights, etc. The tunnel safety aspects have top priority.

A more ambitious rapid transit system, named İZBAN connects the north of the city, Aliağa to the south terminus of Cumaovası, via Adnan Menderes Airport and several other important financial and commercial areas such as Karşıyaka and Alsancak. The İzban and Metro will provide interchange with each other at Halkapınar station.

By the end of 2011, the Metro, or any other transport system in the city will no longer accept cash, or the jeton, (token) which is brought by cash and used to pass the ticket barriers at the stations. The Metro carries about 30 million passengers/year and to the end of September 2005 160 million passengers had travelled since the opening in May 2000.

Stations

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Poligon station of the İzmir Metro
 
İzmirspor station of the İzmir Metro
 
Stadyum station of the İzmir Metro
Station Opening Structure Construction Structure Platform Tracks Transfer
Evka 3 30 March 2012 Cut-and-Cover Tunnel 2 Side Platforms 2 Bus
Ege Üniversitesi
Bornova 22 May 2000 Splitting Tunnel 1 Island Platform
Bölge Grade
Sanayi
Stadyum Viaduct 2 Side Platforms
Halkapınar Grade 2 Island Platforms 3 Bus, Tram, and Izban
Hilal Viaduct 2 Side Platforms 2 Izban
Basmane Cut-and-Cover Tunnel 1 Island Platform Bus, National rail
Çankaya Bus, Tram
Konak Bus, Tram, and Ferry (nonstandard walking distance)
Üçyol Deep Tunnel 2 Side Platforms Bus
İzmirspor 29 December 2012 Cut-and-Cover Tunnel
Hatay
Göztepe 25 March 2014 Deep Tunnel
Poligon 26 July 2014 Cut-and-Cover Tunnel
Güzelyalı Cancelled but
station shaft prepared
for future use
Fahrettin Altay 26 July 2014 Bus, Tram
Balçova 24 February 2024 Deep Tunnel 1 Island Platform Bus
Çağdaş
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hastanesi
Güzel Sanatlar
Narlıdere İtfaiye
100. Yıl Cumhuriyet Şehitlik
Kaymakamlık 4 March 2024

Future extensions

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Line Stations Status
Evka 3 - Bornova Merkez 1 Project tenders complete.
Construction tenders took place in 2016.
Halted by court order.
Üçyol - Çamlıkule 11 Construction started in 2022.
Narlıdere Kaymakamlık - Zeytinalanı 11 No progress.
Konak - Menderes 18 The project is approved by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
Halkapınar - Otogar (Intercity Bus Terminal) 5 The project is planned to be built as an İZBAN line instead of a metro.
(This project is being evaluated together with the planned Ankara-İzmir High Speed Rail Line, of which the first part of construction has begun.)

Network map

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "İzmir'de metro coşkusu". arkitera.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  2. ^ "İzmir Metrosu'nda Gurur Günü". Metro İzmir. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
  3. ^ "Ve Metro F.Altay'da" [And Metro to F.Altay] (in Turkish). İzmir Metrosu A.Ş. July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  4. ^ "Tarihçe". izmirmetro.com.tr. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
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