Sirkeci Yedikule Suburban Train Line, which remained idle after 140 years of service

The Sirkeci-Yedikule commuter train line, which was idle with the commissioning of Marmaray after approximately 140 years of service, continues to live in the memory of Istanbul. It is on the agenda that the line will meet with Istanbulites again with nostalgic flights.

It started to serve in Istanbul from the 1870s. It has hosted millions of passengers from different generations for about 140 years, becoming one of the busiest lines. He witnessed joys, sorrows, separations and reunions.

The suburban train line between Sirkeci and Yedikule closed its doors to passengers in 2013. The line, which started at Sirkeci Train Station and was engraved in the memories of Istanbul residents, ended at the foot of the historical Yedikule walls after Cankurtaran, Kumkapı, Yenikapı and Samatya stations.

The Sirkeci-Yedikule suburban train line, which has also hosted dozens of Yeşilçam movies, is experiencing its calmest days today, contrary to the intensity of the past.

It also affected the life around the line

For years Sirkeci-Halkalı The train line serving between Sirkeci and Yedikule was limited to Marmaray on March 1, 2013. Shortly after, this section of the line was also disabled.

The Sirkeci-Yedikule suburban line, which reflects the texture of the Historic Peninsula, also affected the social life of the city. While the neighborhoods where the bus stops were popular settlements, this process also played a role in the development and survival of the neighborhood culture.

The line, which has become silent today, is waiting to meet with Istanbulites again with its railways and stations.

The busiest stop is Kumkapi

Muammer Yılmaz, born in 1960, is one of the heroes in these stories in the past. Yılmaz, who is currently the Deputy Director of Sirkeci Train Station, served as a dispatcher and station chief during the periods when the line was open. Muammer Yılmaz explains that in the stations where he works, the highest density is experienced in Kumkapı. He says the reason for this is that in the past years, the fish market and trade centers were located in and around Kumkapı.

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Muammer Yıllmaz reminds that many people like him who lived in Istanbul have many memories along this line.

“It hurts everyone to see this line, these stations abandoned like this.”

Explaining that the friendships and friendships gained on the trains are still continuing today, Yılmaz said, “The memories of those watching during the holidays, the criticisms of the matches made on the day of the match. It is not possible for this line to be erased from the face of this city.”

May come back as nostalgic line

Saying that he felt a sense of sadness when he saw the line in this way, Yılmaz remembers those days by saying, “Istanbul would start the day cheerfully at these stations, and when it got dark, it would end at these stations with sadness and fatigue.”

Yılmaz, who also gave information about the future of the line, says that it is on the agenda that the Sirkeci-Yedikule suburban line is on the agenda again with nostalgic voyages.

Stating that nostalgic train services can start between Sirkeci and Yedikule, although not very often, Yılmaz adds that he dreams of seeing these stations live again, like all Istanbul residents.