The M2, officially referred to as the M2 Yenikapı–Hacıosman metro line ( tr, M2 Yenikapı–Hacıosman metro hattı), is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

line of the

Istanbul Metro The Istanbul Metro ( tr, İstanbul metrosu) is a rapid transit railway network that serves the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It is operated by Metro Istanbul, a company (formerly known as ''İstanbul Ulaşım A.Ş.'' before 2016), a public enterpris ...

. It is colored light green on the maps and route signs. The M2 operates between Hacıosman in southern

Sarıyer Sarıyer () is the northernmost district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It consists of the neighbourhoods of Rumelifeneri, Tarabya, Yeniköy, İstinye, Emirgan and Rumelihisarı. Sarıyer also administers the Black Sea c ...

Yenikapı Yenikapı () is a port and a quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus, and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula. Yenikapı is notable for the ongoi ...

in south-central

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

on the historic peninsula of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. Shuttle trains run from Sanayi to Seyrantepe to

Nef Stadium Nef Stadium (officially known as the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi – Nef Stadyumu) is a football stadium serving as the home ground of the Süper Lig club Galatasaray It is located in the Seyrantepe quarter of the Sarıyer district, on the Euro ...

. The M2 line has 16 stations, all but one underground, and a total length of . A daily ridership of about 500,000 makes it the busiest line of the Istanbul Metro system.

History

Construction for a north–south metro line started on 19 August 1992 when the groundbreaking of the ''M2'' took place. The original route was a wholly underground line between Taksim and 4. Levent. Construction of the tunnels took place in three separate areas; Taksim, Şişli and 4. Levent. These tunnels were connected to each other on 8 July 1994 and were completed on 30 April 1995. The line was completed in early 11 January 1999 and the first rolling stock were lowered into the tunnels. On 25 March 1999 the first test runs began and the line entered service on 16 September 2000 between Taksim and Levent. 4. Levent was opened one month later on 24 October 2000.

Timeline

The following are events in the timeline of the M2 service: * 19 August 1992: Construction of the M2 begins. * 12 June 1994: Taksim - Şişli part is completed. * 8 July 1994: Şişli - 4.Levent part is completed. * 30 April 1995: The two tunnels are connected. * 11 January 1999: The first trainsets are used for test runs. * 16 September 2000: Taksim - 4.Levent portion is opened. * 31 January 2009: Taksim - Şişhane and 4.Levent - Atatürk Oto Sanayi extensions are opened. * 2 September 2010: A northern extension to Darüşşafaka is opened. * 11 November 2010: The branch to Seyrantepe is opened. * 29 April 2011: The northern extension to Hacıosman is opened. * 15 February 2014: With the completion of the

Golden Horn Metro Bridge The Golden Horn Metro Bridge ( tr, Haliç Metro Köprüsü) is a cable-stayed bridge carrying the M2 line of the Istanbul Metro across the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. It connects Karaköy and Küçükpazarı on the European side of Istanbu ...

, M2 line is fully in service from Yenikapı to Hacıosman.

Route

The M2 starts at Hacıosman in southwestern

. From there it travels under Büyükdere Avenue, a major north–south road in the city, through İstanbul's two major financial districts;

Maslak Maslak is one of the main business districts of Sarıyer, Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It was formerly an exclave of the municipality of Şişli, though being far north and actually closer to the municipalities ...

and

Levent Levent is a neighbourhood and one of the main business districts of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European side of the city. It is a part of the municipality of Beşiktaş and is situated to the north of the Golden Horn, at the western sh ...

. The line then heads slightly west just south of Levent through

Şişli Şişli () is one of the 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south. In 2009, Şi ...

to historical

Taksim Square Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...

. From there M2 heads through western

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, meani ...

to Şişhane. It crosses the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...

towards the Old City and terminates in Yenikapı, a transport hub connecting with M1 line and

Marmaray The Marmaray () is a intercontinental commuter rail line in Istanbul, Turkey. A rail tunnel running under the Bosphorus strait was connected to an upgraded version of the old suburban train service (known as the banliyö), allowing trains ...

. (The Şehzadebaşı station on the map above was actually named Vezneciler when the extension south of Şişhane opened on 15 February 2014).

Stations

M2 Line M2 Branch Line (While it was planned to be only a warehouse and operation center in Seyrantepe during the initial construction, it was built as a station to serve both the region and the

Türk Telekom Stadium Nef Stadium (officially known as the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi – Nef Stadyumu) is a association football, football stadium serving as the home ground of the Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray It is located in the Seyran ...

. Due to the limited area of the scissors zone, transactions can only be made up to the Sanayi. It is planned to make arrangements for uninterrupted work between Seyrantepe and

on match days.)

Rolling stock

The M2 line in İstanbul uses both

Hyundai Rotem Hyundai Rotem (founded in 1977) is a South Korean company that manufactures rolling stock, defense products and plant equipment. It is a part of the Hyundai Motor Group. Its name was changed from Rotem to Hyundai Rotem in December 2007 to refl ...

and

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...

trains which operate with headways of 5 minutes on the line.

Future extension

A future extension southwest of Yenikapı is planned, with five new stations at Kocamustafapaşa, Silivrikapı, Veliefendi, Zeytinburnu and Bakırköy.

Gallery

References

External links

* {{Public Transport in İstanbul M2 Railway lines opened in 2000 Fatih Beyoğlu Şişli Beşiktaş Kağıthane Sarıyer 2000 establishments in Turkey