A high-speed railroad system:
- connecting Europe and Asia
- protecting the historical beauty of Istanbul
- solving the local transportation problem
Marmaray is a 76 km long high-capacity railroad between Gebze on the European side and Halkaı on the Asian side of Istanbul. Construction started in 2004. The name Marmaray is a combination of “Marmara” and “Ray”, the Turkish word for Rail.
Marmaray trains cross the Bosphorus inside a 1,4 km long earthquake-proofed underwater tube. The tube lies 60 metres below sea level, making it the world’s deepest undersea tunnel:
The undersea tube opens into underground tunnels on both sides of the Bosphorus. This underground-undersea tunnel system is 14 km long and stretches from Kazlıçesme on the European side to Ayrılıkçeşme on the Asian side. New underground stations will be built at Yenikapı, Sirkeci and Üsküdar. Another 37 above-ground stations will be rebuilt or modernized along the line.
At Yenikapı station, Maramaray connects with both Istanbul Metro and the Light Rail Train.
Marmaray wıll carry as many people and vehicles as 14 Bosphorus bridges combined. Its trains can transport up to 75,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The trains will travel as close as two minutes apart at a top speed of 100 km/hour. Travelling from Bostancı to Bakırköy.will take 9 minutes compared to 90 minutes today. 
Construction of Marmaray started in May 2004. The Marmaray tunnel was completed in September 2008. The project was initially expected to be completed in 2012 but is now four years behind schedule, mainly due to the discovery of a Byzantine era archaeological find at Yenikapı constructıon site in 2005.
The excavations uncovered Istanbul's largest harbour, the 4th century Port of Theodosius. There, archaeologists found traces of the city wall of Constantine the Great, and the remains of the only early medieval galley ever discovered. In addition, the excavation has uncovered the oldest evidences of settlement in Istanbul, dating back to 6000 BC.
The excavations uncovered Istanbul's largest harbour, the 4th century Port of Theodosius. There, archaeologists found traces of the city wall of Constantine the Great, and the remains of the only early medieval galley ever discovered. In addition, the excavation has uncovered the oldest evidences of settlement in Istanbul, dating back to 6000 BC.
The only early medieval galley ever discovered
Interview
Marmaray will change Istanbul profoundly
Professor Murat Guvenc, of Bilgi University's Architectural Design Masters Programme, says that the region will experience an unprecedented transformation once Marmaray begins to operate. He thinks that Marmaray is essential for Istanbul and that the social impacts of the changes that the project will bring about should be researched...
What sort of transformation in the settlement
and transportation structures of the region is
anticipated?
The transportation lines will be interlaced.
Traveling from Bostancı to Bakırköy will take
only nine minutes, and not the current one
and half hours. As many as 1.5 million people
will change continents in Yenikapı. Marmaray
will carry as many people and vehicles as 14
Bosphorus bridges combined would do.
Marmaray will leave no stone unturned in
Istanbul. The city residents will also change.
The project is the most strategic one Istanbul
has seen until now.
How exactly will this change transform this city?
It will change Istanbul at a speed
unprecedented in the city's history. When it
begins to operate, we will wake up to see that
the firewood sellers working in the area are
gone, maybe replaced by textile businessmen.
Maybe no longer spices but Rolex watches will
be sold in the Egyptian Bazaar. The so-called
Historical Peninsula of the city will begin to
resemble Manhattan. Isolated from the
metropolis, this region will be the most
accessible location and therefore will receive
most of the glory. Places like the Grand
Bazaar will transform incredibly. They will no
longer sell handkerchiefs but famous brands.
The more visitors they have, the more likely
they will be able to sell higher value products.
We will together observe how the city will
change. Research must be undertaken to
forecast the social costs and impacts.
Istanbul 2010 - Heritage, winter issue, page 33
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