The Buca Branch Railway ( tr, Buca Şube Demiryolu) was a short long railway that operated in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...

between 1866 and 1902. The railway was a subsidiary of the

Ottoman Railway Company The Ottoman Railway Company, commonly referred to as the İzmir–Aydın Railway ( tr, İzmir-Aydın Demiryolu), is the oldest railway in Anatolia and second oldest railway in the Ottoman Empire. The railway was built by a British company to trans ...

, which formed the railway in 1866 to build a branch line to

Buca Buca (, ) is a district of İzmir Province, Turkey. It is one of the main urban districts of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. History Buca was one of the preferred settlement areas of İzmir's community of Levantines. The great mansions they bui ...

. Throughout its existence the railway was highly profitable, serving wealthy

Levantine Levantine may refer to: * Anything pertaining to the Levant, the region centered around modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, including any person from the Levant ** Syria (region), corresponding to the modern countries of the Lev ...

business owners who commuted into the city each day.

History

Ever since the Ottoman Railway Company was authorized to build a railway from İzmir to Aydın, in 1856, a railway to Buca was also considered. Wealthy business owners who lived in Buca but worked in

Alsancak Alsancak is a centrally situated large quarter (or a zone; ''semt'' in Turkish) in İzmir, Turkey, within the boundaries of the metropolitan district of Konak, the historic center of the city. Overview As a notional zone, Alsancak extends from ...

, commuted to the city every day. This made demand for a railway to Buca high. On 7 February 1866, the ORC formed the ''Buca Branch Railway'' to operate a railway to Buca, that would branch off from the İzmir-Aydın mainline at Paradiso station. According to the agreement made by ORC representative Edmond Purse, the Buca Branch Railway is to be a subsidiary of the ORC giving the ORC the right to absorb the railway at any time. Fares on the line will be the same as on the ORC mainline while 40% of the profit will go to the ORC for trains heading to İzmir, and 60% for trains to Aydın. The ORC also built a new station building at Punta station for passengers travelling to and from Buca. That building, known as the ''Buca station building'', became the first clock tower in İzmir, opening in 1870. The railway began operations in 1872, with two daily trains to and from Punta station in Alsancak. The opening of the railway also greatly boosted the growth of Buca, which was a quiet residential village in the mid-19th century. More and more residents, primarily Levantines, moved into the area. Two new churches, Saint Jean Baptiste and Saint Saints, were opened in the vicinity of Buca station. The line became quiet popular that by the end of the 19th century, there were a total of 11 daily trains operating between Buca and Punta. The total time of the trip was 40-45 minutes for Buca-bound trains and 25-30 minutes for Punta-bound trains. The Buca Branch Railway was bought by the Ottoman Railway Company in 1902. The ORC kept operating the railway until 1935, when it was bought by the

Turkish State Railways The State Railways of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları), abbreviated as TCDD, is a government-owned national railway company responsible with the ownership and maintenance of railway infrastructure in Turkey ...

. The Buca branch was in operation up until 2006 when it was abandoned, due to the construction of the Şirinyer Tunnel.

References

{{Anatolian Railways Railway companies of Turkey Ottoman railways Defunct companies of Turkey Companies based in İzmir Railway companies disestablished in 1902 Railway companies established in 1866 1866 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1902 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Buca District History of İzmir