Test Drive of Eminönü Alibeyköy Tram Line Completed

IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu, reported that the work on the Alibeyköy-Eminönü Tram Line, which was started in 2016, then came to a halt and was restarted by solving the financing problem when they took office, has come to an end. İmamoğlu shared the good news that the section between Alibeyköy and Cibali of the historical line that will embrace the Golden Horn will be put into service on January 1, 2021. Eyüpsultan Mayor Deniz Köken accompanied İmamoğlu, who participated in the test drive of the line.

In the Eminönü-Alibeyköy Tram Line, the construction works of which were started in 2016 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Rail System Department, and then came to a standstill, the financing problems were resolved in the new period and the construction process was accelerated. The work on the Cibali-Alibeyköy section of the line has come to an end. Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Ekrem İmamoğlu, participated in the test drive of the line, which will be put into service on January 1, 2021. Before the test drive, İmamoğlu visited the Control Center at Alibeyköy Station with his staff. Pelin Alpkökin, Head of Rail Systems Department, and Metro A.Ş. Having received information from the General Manager Özgür Soy, İmamoğlu was accompanied by Eyüpsultan Mayor Deniz Köken.

"COMPETITION PROJECTS FOR LANDSCAPE COMPLETED"

İmamoğlu, Köken and their accompanying delegation then moved on to the line that would cross the Golden Horn coast. Taking the tram from Alibeyköy Station, İmamoğlu made his evaluations about the line in the train with the view of the Golden Horn. Emphasizing that they will activate a historical line embracing the Golden Horn, İmamoğlu said, “A serious work has been done. In particular, it was -1,3 kilometers, if I don't remember correctly - there was the section we had to disassemble and rebuild, in the Balat - Ayvansaray section. And we did some serious piling there. Thank God we have come to a healthy end right now. Of course, it will serve from the Unkapanı Bridge for now. Later, we will connect it to Sirkeci. We also have a landscape work that continues from Sirkeci to Alibeyköy. Here, the competition projects of a serious field are finished and concluded. It was made in four stages. I also got this four-stage presentation yesterday. “Very enjoyable” he said.

"WE SET A TARGET FOR 2021, TO FINISH ALL"

"The main issue here is not just a tram, it is not just about transporting people, but also to arrange the landscape of the Golden Horn's coast, which has been waiting for many years," said İmamoğlu.

“We set a target for 2021 to finish all. With a serious investment, we will have started such a process with environmentally sensitive and environmentally sensitive practices that millions of Istanbul residents come to and enjoy the historical texture of Istanbul. This is especially a tram that meets on our two metro and metrobus lines. Therefore, the tram provides us a very beneficial meeting from Yenikapı to Taksim, from Mahmutbey - Mecidiyeköy line. It also meets with metrobus. It is also valuable with this aspect. From Alibeyköy to Eminönü, it also has the following benefit: As you know, the Golden Horn is developing a lot with its museums. At this point, we will provide touristic crossings of more inclusive city lines facing the Golden Horn. As you know, there is also the Haliç Congress Center where there are events, there is also the Koç Museum. I hope it will be a tight touristic destination when the other works are completed. "

"METRO INVESTMENTS IS OUR PRIORITY"

Sharing the information that the tram line in question is connected to Mahmutbey - Mecidiyeköy Metro and Alibeyköy Station, İmamoğlu thanked all the people, institutions and organizations who contributed to both projects. Stressing that metro investments will be their priority from now on, İmamoğlu underlined that they do not want any work to be left unfinished. Pointing out that they aim to realize all the investments that have stopped, İmamoğlu shared the following information about the lines in question:

“For example, one of the lines that I was very excited about was Dudullu - Bostancı line. Again, lines such as Çekmeköy - Sancaktepe - which again meet the City Hospital - and then Sultanbeyli continuation are very important. The Hızray issue is an important issue for us in 2021. So Sabiha Gökçen Halkalıwill connect to. It will be reached from one end of the city to the other in 55 minutes. Also, my friends are conducting a very economical study. Within the project, there will be a line that connects the city to the west and east of the city with a very fast pass, by taking advantage of the existing stations, that is, with 12 stations. Again, we will hopefully prepare for another tender in 2021, the İncirli - Beylikdüzü line. West of Istanbul is very bad in terms of rail system. When you say the İncirli - Beylükdüzü line, it is a line that takes Küçükçekmece, Sefaköy, Avcılar, Esenyurt and even Büyükçekmece. All this rail system Istanbul's attainment of a modern rail system and meeting with a beautiful environment is a work like a major completion organization in terms of Istanbul's future vision. God willing, may Allah endure all. "

"OUR INITIATIVES RELATED TO INTERNET USAGE IN METRO CONTINUES"

Regarding the question about internet usage in subways, İmamoğlu said, “Our attempts to use internet in rail systems continue. Our request for permission from the Ministry of Interior continues. We even have views that we do not have an obstacle to use it on driverless lines. More precisely, the regulation of the work allows this in the logic that prohibits this. We have stated that we want to start especially on Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey Line. It is currently under review. I hope we will take care of this and we will offer internet access on metro lines as soon as possible ”. Disembarking from the train at Feshane Stop, both Presidents walked from this point to Balat Stop and examined the remaining part of the line.

LINE STORY

In the new period, the construction process was accelerated by resolving financing problems in the Eminönü-Alibeyköy Tram Line, the construction works of which started by the IMM Rail System Department in 2016 and later came to a halt. However, an important technical problem was encountered in the construction of the line. It was determined that 2018 km of the rail system, completed in October 1,3, had vertical seating, collapse and sliding in the ground areas below the current foundation and rail level, which do not sit on a piled system that would hinder the tram operation.

THE GROUND OF HALİÇ IS NOT CONSIDERED

Field measurements and investigations were carried out by IMM engineers and expert academicians assigned by Sakarya University. As a result of the examination, it was determined that during the design phase of the tram line superstructure, critical ground conditions specific to the Golden Horn were not taken into consideration, and that the ground survey and field investigation were not carried out at the project stage. It has been observed that this irregular and 1,5-year-long ground movement restricts the problem to be solved with additional measures and poses great risks to the operational safety of the tram. As a result of the technical evaluations made, it was predicted that the ground movement will increase over time. For this reason, it was determined that the most appropriate solution would be to break the 1,3 kilometer foundation section of the line that does not sit on the piled system. In this context, the tram superstructure rail dismantling and reinforced concrete demolition works between Balat and Ayvansaray, the production of which was completed in 2018, started last April and was completed in a short time.