Deputy Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Nuri Aslan, participated in the test drive of the Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe line, which will ease transportation on the Anatolian Side.
Aslan was joined by Kadıköy Mayor Mesut Kösedağı, IMM Deputy Secretary General Assoc. Dr. He was accompanied by Pelin Alpkökin, IMM Rail Systems Department Head Erman Eryılmaz, IMM Assembly 2nd Deputy President Gencay Özcan, IETT General Manager İrfan Demet, IMM Transportation and Traffic Commission President Ali Mesut Çelik, Neighborhood Headmen and expert technical team. After the test drive, IMM Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan received information from his staff and started the test drive by making an announcement on the metro radio. Nuri Aslan gave the following information about the line that will serve without a driver:
“WE WILL PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN ÜMRANİYE-ATAŞEHİR-GÖZTEPE IN 21 MINUTES”
"Dear friends, we are on a test drive on the Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe line. As you can see today, we are traveling with our friends on a driverless line and we are on a test drive. We will open this line on December 19. The feature of this line is that it is 13 kilometers long, consists of 11 stations, and we will provide transportation between Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe in 21 minutes. Thus, we will reduce both the traffic density and the transportation time of the road. There will be a decrease in rubber wheeled applications. It will be very beneficial to the environment. It is a line with a capacity to carry 44 thousand passengers in one direction.
“EKREM MAYOR IS THE METRO CONQUEROR”
In this case, we did the following: We bought a line whose tenders have been made but is at a 4 percent progress stage. We provided the vehicles for the line and continued the construction of the metro. Remember those times; Ekrem Bey was known as 'Metro Conqueror'. Ekrem Mayor is still the Metro Conqueror. There is no one in the world who has broken his record yet. There is no mayor yet who continues the construction of 10 subways at the same time. I don't think he can come again after this. Because continuing, financing and organizing the construction of 10 metros at the same time; It is not possible to continue under economic conditions, pandemic, political and social conditions. Hopefully he will be here with us in December.
“OUR 40 METRO VEHICLES ARE READY”
I wish good luck to both Kadıköy, Ataşehir district and Ümraniye district. This line will actually work compatible with the M5, M8 and M12 lines. We can use the tools we use here on other lines as well. Let's say the passenger density is on another line, we instantly pull from here and use it on another line; Then, if it is not needed, we can bring it here. One set consists of 4 wagons. Therefore, currently 40 of our wagons are at Behiç Erkin Facilities; We test some of them here, and some of them are subjected to various tests there. Therefore, we have 40 metro vehicles ready. It's ready months in advance. We work in a planned and programmed manner. President, we are already building Olympic swimming pools for the Olympic Games in 2036, what we will do in 2029, what we will do in 2033. Is it possible to work without a plan or program? No way. No way... Sometimes there may be delays of one or two months in technical applications in such large investments and metro works. But we know which metro line we will put into operation and when.
"WE ASK OUR PRESIDENT TO SIGN"
So, for example, we will commission our Pendik-Kaynarca-Sabiha Gökçen line in the second quarter of 2027, that is, in May. I don't know, we will put the Eyüpsultan-Bayrampaşa Tram Line into operation at the end of 2027. Again, we will put the Yıldız-Kabataş line into operation at the end of 2027. We will put the Kirazlı-Halkalı line into operation in 2028. Again, in 2028, we will commission the part of the Mahmutbey-Esenyurt line up to Suleiman the Magnificent. Immediately afterwards, we will build our line in Esenyurt. While this process is being carried out, I ask our President again: If he signs the public investment program regarding the Sefaköy-Avcılar-Esenyurt-Beylikdüzü-TÜYAP line, we will quickly lay the foundations of it and start. As you know, we have no tax debt, no SSI debt. The government has to pay us around 30 billion. Therefore, in our municipality approach, we are in a position to do anything with our own resources.”
Nuri Aslan, who inspected the platform areas after the test drive, greeted the workers on the line and wished them ease in their work.
