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Istanbul’s municipal council approved plans on Wednesday for €871.2 million ($1 billion) in borrowing to finance the purchase of 422 metro train cars for two rail lines across the city.
The proposal covers the Kirazli-Halkali route on Istanbul’s European side and the Cekmekoy-Sultanbeyli line on the city’s Asian side.
Under the approved plan, the municipality will be able to use external and domestic borrowing, international and local bond issuances, and other financial instruments allowed under Turkish legislation to secure funding.
The plan allocates €571.2 million for the Kirazli-Halkali rail transit system to procure and commission 272 metro cars, while €300 million will be used to acquire 150 vehicles for the Cekmekoy-Sultanbeyli route.
The borrowing requests passed with unanimous support in the municipal council vote.
The Kirazli-Halkali line is one of the major metro expansion projects on Istanbul’s European side, designed as an extension of the M1B Yenikapi-Kirazli route.
The 9.7-kilometer (6.02 miles) corridor will connect densely populated districts, including Bagcilar and Kucukcekmece, through nine stations, strengthening links with existing metro and Marmaray services across western Istanbul.
The Cekmekoy-Sultanbeyli route is part of the eastern expansion of Istanbul’s driverless M5 metro line on the city’s Asian side.
The project extends the existing Uskudar-Cekmekoy corridor deeper into rapidly growing suburban districts such as Sancaktepe and Sultanbeyli, where public transportation demand has increased sharply in recent years.
Metro Istanbul currently operates rail systems stretching over 380 kilometers (236.2 miles) across the city, while roughly 87 kilometers of additional lines remain under construction as part of the municipality’s long-term expansion strategy.
The city’s broader rail network target stands at more than 717 kilometers.
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