After two major earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, which caused destruction in 11 provinces, possible scenarios for Istanbul began to be discussed. Two major earthquakes that caused great destruction raised awareness for the expected earthquake in Istanbul and its surroundings. An average of 2 million people in the city, where 16 million people live, use the rail system in transportation. So, how robust are the Istanbul metro and trams, which are used by an average of 3 million people a day? What should we do if we are caught in an earthquake in the subway meters below the ground? Noticeable warning.
How to evacuate in case of power cut and fire? Metro Istanbul General Manager Özgür Soy and Yıldız Technical University Transportation Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Halit Özen, the subject that millions of people wonder about He evaluated Şifa Kaymak from haberglobal.com.tr.
Yıldız Technical University, Department of Transportation, Lecturer Prof. Dr. Halit Özen drew attention to the aftermath of the earthquake and said, “Since the fault line does not cross the land, it does not create a split in the subways. While designing the subways, they are made to be durable up to 8 severity. During the earthquake, it is necessary to empty the number inside the train towards the exit direction.
'WE WILL NOT USE THE METRO FOR 15 DAYS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE'
The real issue is that we will not be able to use the subways for 15 days after the earthquake. They will be maintained and checked. Public transportation will be provided by bus and minibus lines. These need to be well organized. Transportation should be provided in a controlled manner," he said.
'ISTANBUL'S SUBWAYS ARE BUILT ACCORDING TO THE WORLD'S SOLID EARTHQUAKE STANDARDS'
Metro Istanbul General Manager Soy also said:
“There is a misconception that subways are dangerous during an earthquake because the source of the earthquake is underground. However, subways are the safest areas in the event of an earthquake, as they are free from physical structure and environmental effects. Istanbul's subways are built according to the strictest earthquake standards in the world, and since they are underground, they are not exposed to the oscillation-related risks that above-ground buildings are exposed to, so the risks of breaking and collapsing in earthquakes are much lower.
All over the world, metro areas are accepted as the safest shelter areas in case of earthquake, war and atmosphere-related disasters. We host nearly 3 million passengers a day. Every step that we will take in an emergency has been planned in advance, its simulations have been studied and it has been built within a certain discipline. We regularly train all our personnel with emergency action plans for earthquake, fire, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear disaster situations.”
Drawing attention to the drills, Soy said, “In 2020, we conducted a live earthquake drill for the first time in our company's history. For the first time, we have implemented the plans that have remained on paper for years. Then, in December 2022, we held the largest exercise in our history with the participation of 17 employees at 195 stations on 1.015 lines.
'PASSENGERS NEED TO HELP'
After the disaster, our personnel will be able to communicate with each other using our Message application and will be able to report their status with the I'm safe button in the application. Everyone has different duties in order to survive the earthquake with minimum loss. However, it is not enough just to be prepared. If our passengers are caught in an earthquake at stations and vehicles, acting in accordance with the directions will ensure a better management of the process.”
Soy continued:
“After the earthquake, our priority is to ensure the safe evacuation of our passengers. The earthquakes felt in Istanbul during the last 34 years when our lines were active showed that the probability of our passengers not feeling the earthquake in underground trains is quite high.
We act with the thought that logistics will be the most urgent need of the city after the evacuation of trains and stations.
'WE PROJECT THAT THE CATHENERS WILL BE DAMAGED FROM THE DESTRUCTION'
We know that it will not be possible to reach by road if we encounter a great destruction. For this reason, we will prioritize the transportation and logistics of health and search and rescue teams and equipment. Since our tram lines are above ground, we anticipate that the catenary that provides tram mobility will be damaged due to possible demolition. In this case, we will ensure that our tram vehicles are towed to a safe point after the safe evacuation of our passengers.
We have a plan in which the acceleration value of the earthquake will be decisive for the ropeways. If the acceleration is low, we will evacuate our passengers by taking our gondolas to the stations at low speed after the damage assessment by our maintenance teams. However, if the acceleration value and the environmental damage effect are large, our scenario is ready, in which the firefighters will step in.
'WE CAN OPEN THESE AREAS AS TEMPORARY REFUGEE AREAS'
If we encounter a destruction on the highway where transportation can be sustained, the highways will have to be left empty so that the search and rescue teams can reach the disaster areas as quickly as possible. For this reason, it is our second priority to continue operating on our lines so that Istanbulites can use the metro in urban transportation.
As Metro Istanbul, we have a closed area of over 1,5 million square meters. In disaster situations, our priority will be to provide the logistics of the city, as we have summarized above. However, if necessary, we are able to open some of these areas for temporary shelter and shelter, so as not to prevent us from operating the trains.
'WE PROVIDE EQUIPMENT FOR OUR PASSENGERS AND PREGNANT PASSENGERS'
Referring to the evacuation of passengers in the subway during the earthquake, Soy said, “When the earthquake occurs, we will first broadcast an earthquake announcement by our command center in our trains and stations. This announcement contains directions about the behavior of our passengers in the vehicle and in the station. We will take our vehicles that were in the tunnel during the earthquake to the nearest station under the supervision of the control teams and ensure that the passengers are unloaded from the vehicle.
We will be able to evacuate our passengers quickly and safely from the stations with the announcement and the directions of the officials. We have evacuation equipment at all our stations for the evacuation of our elderly, disabled, stroller and pregnant passengers. If our passengers are caught in an earthquake at stations and vehicles, acting in accordance with the directions will ensure better management of the process.
'ENERGY WILL BE GRANTED IN 3 MINUTES AT THE LATEST'
Underlining that all relevant areas will be energized within 3 minutes at the latest, Soy said, “We know that in case of a devastating earthquake, there may be a problem in energy supply throughout the country and electricity may be cut off throughout the city to ensure system security.
Metro Istanbul is in the category of enterprises that will receive priority energy after the systems are checked by AFAD. In the event of a power cut, the systems that provide lighting will primarily operate in the vehicles and in the station. Generators will be activated in the metro system until AFAD is re-energized. All relevant areas will be energized within 3 minutes at the latest.
'GENERATOR WILL BE ENOUGH FOR 7 HOURS'
According to additional instructions from AFAD, vehicles can be operated for a limited time for emergencies. As Metro Istanbul, we have an installed generator power that is large enough to produce energy at the size of Uzunçayır Dam in Tunceli. Our generator fuel stock will be sufficient for up to 7 hours if only one vehicle is started and the internal needs are disabled.
'WE ALSO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF TSUNAMI'
We also consider the possibility of earthquakes triggering disasters such as fire, tsunami and flooding. In case of fire, we will activate our station or tunnel fire scenarios. In addition, we confirm the readiness of our crews and equipment by conducting fire drills twice a year in each of our lines. We are working with Istanbul Fire Department and AKOM on 2 different fire and generator scenarios in a year.” said.