'U' Defense from the Minister of Transport: 'Eases Passenger Access'

Transport Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu claimed that the decision to use the letter "U" instead of "M" in the Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport metro line, which caused public debate, was taken "to ensure ease of passenger access".

While the letter 'M' was used as the symbol of metro stations in Istanbul, the symbol to be used in the Gayrettepe-Kağıthane-Eyüp-Istanbul Airport metro line, which is under construction by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, was determined as the letter 'U'.

According to the news of Hüseyin Şimşek from BirGün, CHP Deputy Chairman Ahmet Akın brought the decision, which is considered as an attempt to "divide the subways and disable the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM)," on the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Akın asked why the letter 'U' was preferred and whether the opinion of the IMM was taken regarding the decision.

Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu defended the use of the letter "U" in the Metro line, giving examples from tram and funicular lines, and said: "While the 'M' logo is generally used in Istanbul metro stations,Halkalı The 'Marmaray' logo is used on the suburban line. Again in Istanbul, the 'T' symbol for the tram and the 'F' symbol for the funicular system makes it easier for the passenger to distinguish the relevant line. In addition, while the metro lines in Ankara are symbolized with the letter 'M', the symbol of the rail system, which is another type of metro and its name is Ankaray, is the letter 'A'.”

CONFLICTING POLICIES

CHP Deputy Chairman Ahmet Akın pointed out that although the universal symbol of metro lines in the world is the letter M, it would be unreasonable to use the letter U. Akın from CHP said:

“The AK Party government still cannot digest the 2019 elections in Istanbul. The preference of the letter 'U' instead of the universal symbol used in the metro lines used by millions of citizens is also an indication of this. No letter change can be made on a newly constructed line without considering the opinion and suggestion of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Moreover, while the Ministry of Transport advocates the use of the letter 'U' in metro lines; Comparing this situation with tram and funicular lines, he almost mocks the mind of the citizen. If the AK Party government wants to use the letter 'U', it can use its own contradictory policies as its symbol.”