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Marmaray, one of Istanbul’s busiest rail lines, will expand its late-night additional services to every day of the week from Sunday, May 3, 2026.
This move aims to meet the growing passenger demand and improve transfers from intercity high-speed trains.
The line connects Istanbul’s European and Asian sides via a rail tunnel under the Bosphorus and currently operates additional late-night services only on Fridays and Saturdays.
Under the new arrangement, the 11.20 p.m. Gebze to Halkali service and the 11.28 p.m. Halkali to Gebze service will run seven days a week.
Marmaray carries at least 600,000 passengers a day, according to Türkiye Daily, making it one of the most heavily used public transport systems in Türkiye’s largest city.
The decision was announced through Marmaray’s official communication channels.
“Dear passengers, in order to meet increasing passenger demand and improve transfer opportunities for passengers using the high-speed train service departing Ankara at 7.50 p.m. and arriving at Sogutlucesme station at 11.58 p.m., the 11.20 p.m. Gebze Halkali and 11.28 p.m. Halkali Gebze Marmaray services, which are currently operated on Fridays and Saturdays, will be operated every day of the week as of Sunday, May 3, 2026,” the statement said.
The change means passengers arriving late at Sogutlucesme from Ankara will have a better chance of transferring directly onto the Marmaray line without facing the same late-night transport gap.
For international visitors and expats, the change is also significant because Marmaray links several major transport nodes across Istanbul, including Sogutlucesme, Uskudar, Yenikapi, and Ayrilik Cesmesi.
Marmaray is not only a commuter line but also a major cross-city rail corridor linking Istanbul with neighboring Kocaeli through the Gebze Halkali route.
The line includes 43 stations along a route of around 76.6 kilometers. Its main transfer points include Yenikapi for the M1 and M2 metro lines, Uskudar for the M5 metro line, Ayrilik Cesmesi for the M4 Kadikoy metro line, and Sogutlucesme for Metrobus and high-speed train connections.
The first Marmaray section opened on Oct. 29, 2013, marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye. The full Gebze Halkali line entered service on March 12, 2019.
The line runs through an immersed tube tunnel beneath the Bosphorus, linking the city’s European and Asian sides by rail.
According to recent figures, Marmaray carries between 600,000 and more than 700,000 passengers on an average day.
In 2024, it broke its own daily passenger record by carrying 743,596 people in a single day.
By the end of 2025, Marmaray had carried more than 1.4 billion passengers over 12 years of operation. Its daily passenger capacity is listed as 877,072.
The expansion of late-night services comes as Istanbul continues to face heavy public transport demand across its rail, metrobus, ferry, and bus networks, particularly at major transfer points serving both local commuters and intercity travelers.
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