Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu Announces New Istanbul Metro Line and Major Hakkari Road Projects

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu reported that the newly opened Halkalı‑Arnavutköy metro segment served 10,021 passengers on its first day, bringing the total ridership on the full 69‑kilometre Gayrettepe‑İstanbul Airport‑Halkalı line to 44,109. The 22‑kilometre underground section is part of Turkey’s longest and fastest metro system, will remain free of charge until 31 July, and is expected to cut travel times between key points in Istanbul by up to 30 minutes, benefiting about 1.5 million residents of Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece.

In parallel, Uraloğlu attended the collective opening in Hakkari of the Yeniköprü Tunnel, Çığlı Bridge, Zap Group bridges and the Yüksekova Environment Road. He highlighted that over the past 24 years the government has invested more than 73 billion lira in the province’s transport and communications network, expanding split‑road length from 1 km in 2002 to 106 km and paving 190 km with bituminous‑asphalt mix. The projects, which also include the 3.0‑km Yeniköprü Tunnel and upgrades of the Turkey‑Iran trade route, are expected to reduce travel times by about 25 minutes, boost tourism and improve cross‑border commerce.