Istanbul's new Halkalı‑Arnavutköy Metro carries 10,021 riders on opening day

Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the Halkalı‑Arnavutköy Metro line opened on 19 June 2026 with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan present at the ceremony. The line began passenger service on 20 June and transported 10,021 riders on its first operating day.

The 69‑kilometre ring line, now complete with 16 stations, includes five new stations – İbn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, Olimpiyatköy, Halkalı Stadium and Halkalı Station – serving roughly 1.5 million residents of Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece. Integrated with the existing Gayrettepe‑İstanbul Airport‑Halkalı line, total usage on the combined network reached 44,109 passengers on the opening day. Travel times were reduced, with Halkalı‑Gayrettepe now taking 57 minutes.

The line will operate free of charge until 31 July, a measure intended to boost ridership and encourage use of the new rapid‑transit corridor.