TÜRKİYE: The North Istanbul railway tender is scheduled for 14 October, covering a 122.3 km double-track line that will connect both of the city’s airports and cross the Bosphorus.

Marmaray commuter train standing at Halkalı station in Istanbul
A Marmaray train at Halkalı station in Istanbul. Illustrative photo: Zach1055 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said the procurement covers the design and construction of infrastructure and superstructure for the Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project. The tender notice has been published in Türkiye’s Official Gazette.

The planned line will run from Çayırova on the Asian side to Çatalca on the European side. It will use the rail-ready Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, creating an overland alternative to the passenger-oriented Marmaray tunnel for cross-Bosphorus rail traffic.

North Istanbul railway tender covers four sections

The main line will comprise 122.3 km of double track, plus 4.7 km of single-track connections. According to procurement details published from the official notice, the construction work is divided into four sections: Çayırova–Sabiha Gökçen Airport–Kurtdoğmuş, Kurtdoğmuş–Alibahadır, Alibahadır–Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge–Mithatpaşa, and Mithatpaşa–Istanbul Airport–Çatalca.

The civil works include five twin-bore TBM tunnels totalling 36.2 km and 22 double-track tunnels built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, or NATM, with a combined length of 23.3 km. The scope also covers 17 cut-and-cover tunnels totalling 3.7 km, two viaducts extending 22.1 km in total, 40 bridges, stations and related infrastructure.

Signalling and telecommunications will be procured separately. Earlier procurement information described the 127 km corridor as an electrified, fully signalled railway designed for speeds of up to 160 km/h.

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New line will link Istanbul’s two airports

From Çayırova, the route will connect with the Marmaray main line before serving Sabiha Gökçen Airport, crossing the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and reaching Istanbul Airport. It will then continue to Çatalca, where it is planned to join the Halkalı–Çerkezköy high-speed line now under construction.

The ministry expects round-the-clock train operations to reduce pressure on the Marmaray crossing and increase freight capacity on the Middle Corridor. The project would also provide the first direct rail connection between Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Istanbul Airport.

Türkiye has assembled a financing package of $6.75 billion, equivalent to about €5.8 billion, involving six international financial institutions. The World Bank approved a $2 billion loan on 31 March as part of the coordinated package. The transport ministry describes the scheme as the country’s largest railway project financed from external sources.

Once completed, the line is projected to carry 33 million passengers and 30 million tonnes of freight annually.

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