The İzmir Metro () is a

light metro A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medi ...

system serving the city of

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The current system, consisting of one line, starts from Narlıdere Kaymakamlık station in the southwestern portion of the metropolitan area and runs towards northeast to end at Evka-3 in

Bornova Bornova is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 220 km2, and its population is 454,470 (2022). It is the third largest district in İzmir's metropolitan area and is almost fully urbanized at ...

. İzmir's metro line is long, and serves 24 stations as of 4 March 2024.

Overview

By 1990, it was thought that the existing public transport system in Izmir could no longer support the growing population. A plan was thought of to build a rapid transit network by rail to cope with this. A contract was signed in 1993, and the handover was in 1994. Construction had begun in 1995 and it was completed successfully in around 4 years. In May 2000, the system came into public service. Up to that moment, the total cost of the system had been $US 600 million.

Yapı Merkezi Yapı Merkezi Holding A.Ş. is a group company whose field of activity is primarily in the construction industry. It was founded in 1965 by Ersin Arioglu and Koksal Anadol in Istanbul. As the first and largest company of the Yapı Merkezi Group, ...

was the main contractor for all design and civil works (tunnels, bridges, viaducts, stations, tracks, infrastructure, depots and workshops) as well as the third-rail power system. AdTranz was responsible for the rolling stock and the signalling, power-supply and communication systems. (ABB Traction was subsequently purchased by Daimler and became AdTranz only to be purchased later by Bombardier.) The Izmir Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) is tailor-made for the LRTS. It is high (from head of rail), wide, and long (over couplers) with a maximum speed of . The maximum acceleration is with a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 44 and a standing capacity of 140. All LRVs are self-powered and the drive and braking systems (with wheel-slip protection) are controlled by on-board computer. A train consists of two to five vehicles with driver's cabin at each end. The LRV is a six-axle articulated unit with three bogies. The first and last bogies are powered while the articulated bogie is trailing. The auxiliary power system is based on a static converter-inverter, supplied from a 750 VDC third rail and supplying 3-phase x 400 VAC at 50 Hz for compressor, fans, lights, battery charging, etc. The 24 VDC battery system supplies the on-board computer as well as other safety systems such as automatic train control (ATC), train radio, passenger displays, emergency lights, etc. The tunnel safety aspects have top priority. A more ambitious rapid transit system, named

İZBAN İZBAN, previously known as Egeray, is a commuter rail system serving İzmir and its metropolitan area. Averaging a daily ridership of 185,000 passengers, it is the busiest commuter rail system in Turkey, slightly ahead of the Marmaray commuter ...

connects the north of the city,

Aliağa Aliağa () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 379 km2, and its population is 104,828 (2022). The town is situated at about north of İzmir. Aliağa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its e ...

to the south terminus of Cumaovası, via

Adnan Menderes Airport Adnan () is traditionally regarded as the patriarch of the Adnanite Arabs, a major Arab lineage that historically inhabited Northern, Western, Eastern, and Central Arabia. The Adnanites are distinct from the Qahtanite Arabs of Southern Arabia ...

and several other important financial and commercial areas such as

Karşıyaka Karşıyaka () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 51 km2, and its population is 346,264 (2022). The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of ...

and

Alsancak Alsancak is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Konak, İzmir, Konak, İzmir Province, Turkey. Its population is 5,581 (2022). It is part of the historic center of the city of İzmir. Overview As a notional zone, Alsancak extends ...

. The İzban and Metro are providing interchange with each other at Halkapınar and Hilal stations. By the end of 2011, the Metro, or any other transport system in the city will no longer accept cash, or the jeton, (token) which is brought by cash and used to pass the ticket barriers at the stations. The Metro carries about 30 million passengers/year and to the end of September 2005 160 million passengers had travelled since the opening in May 2000.

Stations

Izmir Metro Rapid Transit Stadyum Station

Future extensions

Network map

References

External links