Trams in Istanbul - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

has three separate tramway systems. The Asian side has a heritage tram system, whereas the European side has both heritage tram & modern tram

Istanbul modern tram

The modern tram of Istanbul is a modern tramway system of the European side of Istanbul, opened in 1990. Currently, it has two lines, one by low floor trams in the old center and the other a more outer area of Istanbul.-History:...

system.

Istanbul once had a brilliant large tramway network on both Asia & Europe. It first started as horse tram, & gradually changed to electric tram. The tram service was completely stopped in 1966. Tram returned in Istanbul in 1990.

History

Istanbul inaugurated horse tram in 1872 and served the people of Istanbul until 1912. Following this date, electric trams were put in place and they were the main mean for urban public transport until 1966. Many routes were built step by step, and it reached their most widespread network in 1956 with 108 million passengers in 270 shuttles in 56 lines. But starting from the mid-1950's, traffic congestion grew rapidly. Starting of bus & taxi service grew very rapidly. The number of private cars also increased very much, and especially many narrow street, which were ideal for tram, now started occupying by motor vehicles. Tramcars were not modernized for many decades, and basically the 1911 electric cars were still running in the 1960s. On that time buses started faster & smoother journey with modern buses, whereas trams were still slower, narrow, single coach and many backdated features like bow collector etc. Under maintenance of tracks caused some derailments and bumpy rides, which were not liked by commuters. Due to the city grew rapidly with increasing migration, reconstruction of Istanbul became urgent, and for this program, many streets were necessary for widening. The transport authority thought that a slow tram transport with fast bus transport on middle of a wide road will cause much problems for smoother city transportation. The tramway had little comfort and was slow because it was caught in the traffic jam caused by the cars. The tracks were also outdated, noisy and in the middle of the street. Cars had to pass the tramway on the right, causing danger for the pedestrians boarding and alighting the tramway. Side by side, trolleybuses proved a good alternative of tram in many countries. Trolleybuses are like ordinary rubber tired buses, but runs with electricity drawn from overhead wire via trolley poles like tram. By justifying all ways, transport department decide to replace trams by trolleybuses.

Trolleybuses started service very well, but due to continuous high investment and maintenance, it was not affordable by transport authority, and it survived only 23 years.

After closing tram network in mid-1960s, people of Istanbul thought the only old-fashioned obstacle to smooth city traveling has removed, and the city can move faster than before, but it proved false some years later. Uncontrolled increasing of petrol vehicles like bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

, taxi

Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...

, and private car started choking the streets of Istanbul. For situating mostly in Asia, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

suffered by many problems of developing countries, including pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...

, traffic jam, illegal migration

Human migration

Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...

, low literacy

Literacy

Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...

and high increasing of population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

etc. Increasing population

Population

started increasing urbanization

Urbanization

Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....

of Istanbul, and it started increasing motor vehicles, which started increasing air and noise pollution

Noise pollution

Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...

, traffic jam & smog

Smog

Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...

. The city even became slower than pre-tram closure era. From starting '70, all this problems started and by the mid-1980s, Istanbulians realized that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Many cities around the world like Tunis

Tunis

Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

, Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

etc. also understood that error, and like them, Istanbul also planned for return of tram.

As an experiment, Istanbul first opened a heritage tram

Istanbul nostalgic tram

Nostalgic tram of Istanbul is the heritage tramway systems of Istanbul, Turkey. The city has two completely separate heritage tram systems, one on the European side, the another on the Asian side....

at European side in 1990. Due to increasing popularity, they opened a modern tram

Istanbul nostalgic tram

Nostalgic tram of Istanbul is the heritage tramway systems of Istanbul, Turkey. The city has two completely separate heritage tram systems, one on the European side, the another on the Asian side....

in 1992, also at European side. They opened another heritage tram in 2003, but now at Asian side.

Past in a nutshell

1860 - The operation a (horse) tram system proposed in Istanbul.

1863 - The first bid came for running tram through Istanbul's main arteries in the suburbs, came from a person named Huchiadson.

1864 - The second proposal in 1864 in Istanbul and the Galata Besiktas' privilege to operate a tram. Three routes were planned- 1) Eminönü - Divanyolu - Beyazid - Aksaray - Yedikule or Topkapi, 2) Eminönü - Ayvansaray - Eyüp 3) Galata - Karaköy - Tophane - Besiktas - Ortaköy - Arnavutköy

1871 - The operation of the first horse driven tramcar has started in 4 lines.

1872 - Increased passenger demand because of the early 1890 s the first route with the "imperial" has been started, called the use of two-storey tram.

1912 - Horse tram operation stopped.

1914 - Electric tram started running from 25 January at European side. The route was from Karaköy
Karaköy
Karaköy, the modern name for the ancient Galata, is a commercial neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus....

to reach Eminönü
Eminönü
Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...

. It was also the first tramcar to pass over Galata Bridge
Galata Bridge
The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.-History:...

, as the passing of horse-driven trams was not permitted from that bridge.

1923 - Tram service expanded in 12 routes.

1928 - Electric tram started running from 8 June at Asian side.

1939 - The tramcar, Tünel
Tünel
The Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...

, bus and electricity establishments, which were being operated by various foreign companies, were nationalised, and the new company 'Istanbul Electrik, Tramway ve Tünel IsletmeIeri (IETT)' took over both European and Asian networks.

1950 - Tram service expanded in 37 routes. All the lines were crossing the Golden Horn on the famous Galata Bridge, which was acting as the central connection point. This was the peak year of Istanbul tram.

1956 - Bad patch started. The Tünel
Tünel
The Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...

-Maçka
Maçka
Maçka is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Ertuğrul Genç .-External links:* *...

line (route 14) in the European part and from Topkapı
Topkapi
Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

-Çapa
CAPA
CAPA, Capa or capa may refer to:People* Robert Capa, photographer, brother of Cornell Capa* Cornell Capa, photographer, brother of Robert Capa* Capa is sometimes used as a nickname for José Raúl Capablanca, the Cuban chess world champion...

line in the in-town walls region, routes were closed. Topkapı - Anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...

- Aksaray route was also closed for redevelopment of Aksaray Square.

1961 - The last tram ran at the European side on 12 January. Topkapi-Eminönü line was replace by trolleybuses in 27 May. Six trams were transferred to the Asian side network.

1966 - The last tram ran at the Asian side on 3 October from Kadıköy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...

to Kızıltoprak. Remaining trams were transferred to the transport museum.

1984 - Trolleybus service stopped on 16 July.

1990 - Independence Avenue was closed to traffic. Tram returned as heritage system between Taksim
Taksim
Taksim was the objective of Turkish Cypriots who supported a partition of the island of Cyprus into Turkish and Greek portions, a concept declared as early as 1957 by Dr. Fazil Küçük...

and Tünel
Tünel
The Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...

. Rolling stocks were same as pre 1966 tram, added name to this service as nostalgic tram.

1992 - By opening a completely separate tram system, tram returned as modern system. It started on the same alignment where tram last ran in 1956.

2003 - Tram returned in Asian side, following closed route 20 as a circular tramway. Rolling stocks were imported from Gotha
Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Gothaer Waggonfabrik was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building.-World War I:...

2005 - On 30 January, Tram returned nearly 40 years after on Galata Bridge.

Tram routes

There were many tram routes. European side had more routes than Asian side. The main routes were as follows -

1 - Kadiköy - Kısıklı
4 - Kadiköy - Bostanci
6 - Kadiköy - Fenerbahçe
8 - Kadiköy - Hasanpasa
10 - Şişli - Tünel
11 - Şişli - Beyazıt
12 - Harbiye - Fatih
14 - Maçka - Tünel
15 - Maçka - Sirkeci
16 - Maçka - Beyazıt
17 - Şişli - Sirkeci
19 - Kurtuluş- Aksaray
20 - Kadıköy - Moda (This route has been partly replicated by the Asian side heritage tram from 2003)
22 - Bebek - Eminönü
23 - Ortaköy - Aksaray
32 - Topkapı - Bahçekapı
33 - Yedikule - Bahçekapı
34 - Beşiktaş - Fatih
37 - Edirnekapı - Bahçekapı

Beside these, there were some short routes, which were short/part versions of those routes.

Route numbers were also showed by color combination, mainly for illiterate person.

Fleet

The rolling stocks were same as like present day's Istanbul's European side heritage tramway. However, on those days, tramway had very little upgrade and basically the 1911 electric cars were still running in the 1960s. These vehicles looked outdated compared to the new cars and buses that were now on the streets. That was one of the strong reasons of closure of the system. Stocks were different on European & Asian side, but after closing the European network, remaining trams were transferred to Asian side, where they served along with former trams until the final closure in 1966.

Depots & termini

The following termini were - Kadiköy

Kadiköy

Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...

, Kisikli, Bostanci

Bostanci

Bostancı is a neighbourhood of Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighbourhood fronts the Sea of Marmara and is not far from the Princes' Islands. From the Bostancı shore, five islands; Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, Büyükada, and Sivriada can be seen...

, Fenerbahçe, Tünel

Tünel

The Tünel is a short underground railway line in Istanbul, Turkey. It is an underground funicular with two stations, connecting the quarters of Karaköy and Beyoğlu. Located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the underground railway tunnel goes uphill from close to sea level and is about 555...

, Beyazit, Harbie, Fatih

Fatih

Fatih is a municipality and district in Istanbul, Turkey that encompasses most of the peninsula coinciding with historic Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, formerly a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was merged into Fatih...

, Maçka

Maçka

Maçka is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Ertuğrul Genç .-External links:* *...

, Sirkeci

Sirkeci

Sirkeci is an area in the Eminönü neighborhood of the Fatih district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It has evolved as the place name of the area in Eminönü surrounding Sirkeci Station, the Southeastern long distance passenger train terminus in Europe for the Orient Express.The neighborhood...

, Kurtuluþ, Moda

Moda

Moda may refer to:* Moda Records, a record label* Andrea Moda, an Italian fashion company* Andrea Moda Formula, a defunct Formula One racing team* MODA , Malaysia Official Designers Association* Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, London...

, Bebek, Eminönü

Eminönü

Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...

, Ortaköy

Ortaköy

Ortaköy is a neighbourhood, formerly a small village, within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, located in the middle of the European bank of the Bosphorus....

, Topkapi

Topkapi

Topkapi or Topkapı can mean:* The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, Turkey* Topkapı, a neighbourhood of Istanbul near the Roman city walls * Topkapi , a 1964 caper movie...

, Bahçekapi, Yedikule

Yedikule

Yedikule or Heptapyrgion can refer to:* the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, Turkey.* the Yedikule neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, where the fortress is located, part of the district of Fatih....

, & Edirnekapi.

The following depots were - Baglarbasi, Hasanpasa, Aksaray

Aksaray

Aksaray is a city in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital district of Aksaray Province. According to 2009 census, population of the province is 376 907 of which 171,423 live in the city of Aksaray. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest...

, Besiktas

Besiktas

Beşiktaş is a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and on the east by the Bosphorus...

, & Sisli

Sisli

Şişli is one of 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...

Tünel, Moda & Kadiköy are the three places where both past system's & today's nostalgic system's termini are present. Although there are no stretch of previous termini, and the current termini were built after complete redesignment of Tünel, Moda & Kadiköy area.

Alignment

All tram routes were on unreserved tracks and middle of the roads. Some routes were on narrow streets, some were on broad avenues. Tramcars were caught in the traffic jam caused by the cars. The tracks were also outdated, noisy and in the middle of the street. Cars had to pass the tramway on the right, causing danger for the pedestrians boarding and alighting the tramway. Those were one of the strong reasons of closure of the system.

There are some common alignments with past & present tramway system-

The heritage tram of European side from Taksim to Tunel has laid following the previous systems - route 10, 11, 15, 17, but now as a single track with crossing.

The heritage tram of Asian side from Kadiköy to Moda has laid following the previous systems route 20, but as a circular tramway.

The modern tram from Kabatas to Zeytinburnu has laid following the previous systems alignment, as Kabataş - Karaköy - Sirkeci - Beyazıt - Aksaray - Topkapı route, with crossing on Galata Bridge.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.