Impacts of The “Marmaray” Project (Bosphorus Tube Crossing, Tunnels and Stations) on Transportation and Urban Environment in Istanbul

Abstract

Geography and transportation intersect in terms of the movement of peoples, goods, and information. Transport creates valuable links between regions and economic activities, between people and the rest of the world (Rodrigue, Comtois, & Slack, 2009). In many cities, rapid growth in population has created problems in transportation (Greg & Ainsley, 2001). In recent years, problems in transportation have started to be solved by increasing the rail systems. Due to its use of underground, subway/metro is the most efficient and available transportation system. Transportation is an important issue in Istanbul which is one of the outstanding metropolitan cities of the world and the biggest metropolitan area in Turkey. One of the most important problems of Istanbul is the difficulty of transportation resulting from the rapid and uncontrolled population growth and the traffic jams. The heaviest traffic can be seen in on the bridges on the Istanbul Strait. The Strait connecting the two continents provides service for the vehicles with the help of two bridges and additional ferryboats. But these administrations are still inadequate and especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours, traffic can be gridlocked. In order to overcome these issues, Project Marmaray has been undertaken and is designed to provide service underground in the area between Sarayburnu and Üsküdar under the sea at Istanbul Strait (Fig. 41.1).