An engineering marvel
Award-winning Eurasia Tunnel helps Istanbul keep moving forward
Constructed in 1875, the Tünel is the oldest surviving underground urban rail line in continental Europe, connecting the neighbourhoods of Beyoğlu and Karaköy in Istanbul, while easing the tough uphill commute of an average of 40,000 people daily. Modern-day Istanbul continues to face challenges related to transporting its 15 million residents and traffic jams are a daily routine, thus necessitating a comprehensive upgrade of the city’s transport infrastructure. Part of this came in the form of a new tunnel, to take the strain off the old. The Eurasia Tunnel, Avrasya Tüneli in Turkish, opened on December 22, 2016, and is a 14.5km double-deck tunnel that links Kazlıçeşme on the European side and Göztepe on the Asian side of Istanbul with 5.4 km of the route lying under the Bosphorus. This new route reduces travel times from 100 minutes to just 15. With state-of-the-art technology and advanced engineering involved in this integrated project, the Eurasia Tunnel serves as a ‘Fast’, ‘Economic’, ‘Safe’, ‘Comfortable’ and ‘Environment-friendly’ transportation alternative for the Istanbul Bosphorus route.
Fast: Thanks to the Eurasia Tunnel, which shortens travel time throughout the bustling city of Istanbul, commuters will now save 52 million hours a year. Economic: By shortening and streamlining the route, the Eurasia Tunnel contributes 180 million liras per year to the fuel economy of Turkey and the time saved equates to a total of 520 million liras.
Safe: The Eurasia Tunnel, which will be open 365 days a year in all weather conditions including fog and ice, is monitored 24/7 by closed circuit cameras and detection and warning systems. Escape routes between tunnel levels are in place, as are emergency lanes and telecom facilities positioned every 500 metres.
Environment-friendly: All stages and activities of the project, which are covered under the scope of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), have been carried out in a proactive and transparent manner. The Eurasia Tunnel has a route that will never degrade the skyline of Istanbul nor the Historical Peninsula, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This environmentfriendly project takes ecological balance into consideration and does not harm marine life. With much-deserved accolades like the “2016 Global Best Project” award in the bridge and tunnel category from the re- nowned Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine, “Major Project of the Year” from world prestigious association International Tunnelling Association (ITA) and the “Environmental and Social Best Practice Award” presented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for excellence in the field of sustainability, especially the preservation of undersea relics and ruins of Istanbul and the Bosphorus, this project is an engineering marvel that will provide comfort and convenience not only to the citizens of Istanbul, but to all transcontinental travellers from Asia to Europe.
THE EURASIA TUNNEL SERVES AS A ‘FAST’, ‘ECONOMIC’, ‘SAFE’, ‘COMFORTABLE’ TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE FOR THE ISTANBUL BOSPHORUS ROUTE