Trabzon is preparing to take a revolutionary step in its transportation infrastructure. The introductory meeting of the Trabzon Rail Transportation System Project, which aims to ease city traffic and provide a modern transportation opportunity, was held today at the Zorlu Grand Hotel. Trabzon Governor Aziz Yıldırım, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Infrastructure Investments General Manager Yalçın Eyigün, Ortahisar Mayor Ahmet Kaya, Akçaabat Mayor Osman Nuri Ekim, AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Altıntepe, CHP Group Deputy Chairman Cüneyt Zorlu, technical team and representatives of various civil society organizations in Trabzon attended the meeting.
President Genç: “Rail System Was Our First Promise”
Making the opening speech of the introduction meeting, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç emphasized that urban transportation is among the priority issues as a result of the analyses they made when they took office. Genç said, “When we look at what we will prioritize when we become mayor, naturally, in Trabzon, as in all our cities, the conveniences and standards in urban transportation are further increased, comfortable access and transportation are provided, and methods implemented to encourage public transportation stand out. The most important of these is the rail system. We brought up the issue of the rail system as our first promise to our fellow citizens during the election period. I promised in our project introduction meeting that I would follow this work month, day and hour.”
First Pickaxe to be Hit Before 2026
Sharing the details of the project, Mayor Genç stated that they went through an important consultation process and said, “We will share with you the point reached in this study and its route. But we consulted with you beforehand. This is a fundamental decision for the city. It is not ‘I did it and that’s it’. We have come to a good point.” Genç, who announced that the implementation projects are in the completion phase and drilling works have started, said, “If God permits, our implementation project – and our drilling stages have started right now – will be completed this year. We will complete the implementation projects. It will enter the 2026 Investment Program. We will have actually started digging before 2026 even arrives.”
First Stage Between Akyazı and Meydan
Providing information about the route of the project, President Genç stated that the population density is concentrated in the Akçaabat, Ortahisar and Yomra districts and that they are considering a project that will connect these three districts. Genç, who thanked Minister of Transportation Abdülkadir Uraloğlu for his support for the project, stated that the project will be implemented on a 32-kilometer axis. Stating that the first stage will be between Akyazı and Meydan, Genç said, “Our starting point will be the implementation in the area where the city hospital and stadium are located, in the form of Akyazı – Meydan – Airport; then it will continue by expanding towards Akçaabat and Yomra. Our goal for this period is to complete the Akyazı – Meydan section. Hopefully, this will be possible. Then, we will continue immediately and reach the university and airport via the bus station. Then, we will reach both Akçaabat and Yomra.”
Governor Yıldırım: “A Challenging Project in Terms of Engineering”
Trabzon Governor Aziz Yıldırım, in his speech, drew attention to the importance of including rail systems in the Ministry of Transportation’s area of responsibility. Stating that the geographical structure of Trabzon is difficult, Governor Yıldırım said, “Trabzon is an area with a very different geography. It is not easy to produce engineering here and to plan in a way that will meet people’s daily needs in terms of transportation. It is truly an important situation. You have all been to Europe. In the places we have gone, in the places where there are old cities, there are many rail systems. Some of them are above ground, some are underground in the form of a metro. We have just started these.”
Tunnels and Viaducts Are Inevitable
Recalling examples of metro and light rail systems in Istanbul and Ankara, Governor Yıldırım emphasized the necessity of a similar system for Trabzon. Expressing that such a system would ease road traffic, reduce the use of private vehicles and make public transportation comfortable, Yıldırım thanked everyone who contributed to the project. Referring to the engineering challenges of the project, Governor Yıldırım said, “16 km of the 8 km is a tunnel. We cannot avoid the tunnel when we build a highway or a rail system. Because 8-10 valleys will be passed from Akçaabat to the airport. We are going with a tunnel and viaduct. It is possible to see how important an engineering achievement this work is and how costly it is. However, providing this comfort to our citizens of Trabzon is much more important than all of these.”
General Manager Eyigün: “A Special Formula Was Necessary for Trabzon”
Yalçın Eyigün, General Manager of Infrastructure Investments of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, stated that they support the rail system projects of metropolitan cities as a ministry and that important steps have been taken specifically for Trabzon. Eyigün said, “Our ministry can either design and build rail systems itself or we provide technical opinions and approval for the rail system projects designed by our metropolitan cities. Therefore, we are in contact with all our metropolitan cities. All public transportation problems of all our metropolitan cities are in our area of interest.”
Short, Medium and Long Term Planning
Stating that the concrete steps towards the goal of bringing Trabzon together with the rail system were taken last year, Eyigün said, “I would like to state that our team’s rapid work up until now has been due to local cooperation. We actually have only one goal; to plan Trabzon’s rail system project in the short, medium and long term. Each city has its own special situation. For Trabzon, a formula that only suits Trabzon, that we can say ‘fits Trabzon very well’ was needed.”
A System Transforming from Tram to Metro
Eyigün, who stated that the geographical structure of Trabzon is not suitable for a system that goes on the surface like a tram, said, “When looked at from this perspective, we have a coastal road, but the residential areas are up, on the hills… The idea of solving this city with a tram was the first step. When we look at the tram, and I am talking about a street tram, we are not talking about a flat city. Its topography brings another difficulty. We do not have wide arteries or streets. There may be problems with road traffic on our streets; when you put the tram, while trying to solve transportation, we are faced with the question of whether we will create another problem with the highway. We should have produced a formula that takes into account the east and west. We experienced the fastest project process. We came together a lot,” he said. Emphasizing that rail systems are long-lasting investments, Eyigün stated that they are working on a long-term solution, not a short-term one.
Average Speed Will Be 40-42 Km/h
Despite the idea of a tram, Eyigün, who explained that the system has become a metro in terms of its characteristics, stated that the underground will be used and a system has been created where the driver's initiative is minimized with full signaling. Eyigün, who said that the average speed of the tram can sometimes drop to 15 km/h and can affect the highway, said, “Here, we have offered the people of Trabzon a rail system that has transformed into metro characteristics, where we have increased the average speed, not conflicting with the highway, and preferring the rail system. Our average speed increases to 40-42 km. This is also the standard of the metros in Istanbul and Ankara. A trip can be made every 5 minutes. If we want, we can make it even more frequent. It can be physically made as frequent as 2 minutes. Our first stage is a 16 km line with 16 stations.”
Bored Tunnel Technique Will Be Used
Touching on the difficulties in the route determination process, Eyigün explained the physical impossibilities of a surface rail system on Tanjant Road or Maraş Street. Emphasizing that the geographical structure of Trabzon was not suitable for such solutions, Eyigün said, “The idea that we should approach the Square, that we should be underground, not on the surface, emerged. Our first option was, ‘Yes, let’s come to the center; let’s come to the old Avni Aker, the Municipality, the Governor’s Office, the Square. While doing these, let’s use the opportunities of the topography of the land, which does not overlap with the surface, with the bored tunnel technique. Let’s do this once, let’s establish a rail system that Trabzon will not complain about having for the rest of its life.’”
EIA Process Continues
Eyigün, who stated that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) application for the project has been made and mapping and drilling work is ongoing, said that the drilling has been completed by 9 percent. He announced that all these works will be completed by the end of the year, implementation projects will be prepared and will be included in the 2026 investment program. He added that they are at the final project stage for the airport connection.
Past Studies Provide the Foundation
In the Q&A section of the meeting, the studies in 1999 were mentioned and the rapid progress made in the last year was asked. General Manager Yalçın Eyigün stated that all the studies in the past formed a basis for them and that they gained many advantages with the accumulation of the last 20 years. He stated that he thought that the bored tunnel approach and the idea of converting the tram to the metro in Trabzon were a good solution compared to the complex transportation problems in Istanbul. He added that the integration of the new airport terminal with the rail system was also within the scope of their studies and that a plan was made according to the situation of the passengers going from domestic lines.
