Five new metro lines to run in Istanbul

Five new metro lines will run in Istanbul in the coming days, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş has said. 

Topbaş said the instructions of the new metro lines will begin as soon as the tender process finalizes. 

Speaking at a municipal council meeting, Topbaş said every line in Istanbul will use the latest technological equipment, adding that the municipality's works were leading in the world. 

He added that a new line connecting Istanbul's Üsküdar and Ümraniye districts will run without a driver. 

"This is a very advanced technology. The use of this technology is very rare. This will also be implemented for the first time in Istanbul across Turkey. Test drives have been ongoing. When their processes are finished, we will bring the service to Istanbul," he said. 
    
Speaking about the details of the other new lines, Topbaş said the construction of one of them had still not started due to a disagreement in the tender.

"The metro line between the Başakşehir and Kayaşehir districts will be six kilometers long, as the other lines between Bağcılar and Kirazlı and Küçükçekmece and Halkalı districts will be 9.7 kilometers long each. Meanwhile, the Kaynarca - Pendik - Tuzla metro line will be 12 kilometers long. The Çekmeköy - Sultanbeyli and Çekmeköy - Taşdelen metro lines will cover a 17.8-kilometer long distance. Meanwhile, the Ümraniye - Ataşehir - Göztepe metro line will reach a distance of 13 kilometers," he added.

He said the 400-kilometer long railway line will be finalized by the end of 2019, his last term as the mayor of Turkey's largest city.