Marmaray is the name for a project to link the European and Anatolian halves of Istanbul by an undersea rail tunnel across the Bosphorus strait. The name "Marmaray" (Marmara Rail) comes from combining the Sea of Marmara, which lies just south of the project site, while "ray" is Turkish for "rail". This article is about the continent. ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge over the Bosporus seen from over Rumelihisarı This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a Turkish Boğaziçi or İstanbul Boğazı) is a strait that separates the European part (Rumeli) of Turkey from its Asian part (Anadolu), connecting the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) with... Map of the Sea of Marmara Satellite view of the Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara (Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Modern Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίδα) (also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea) is an inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating the...

The construction of the project started in May 2004. It includes a 13.3 km Istanbul Strait crossing and the upgrade of 63 km of suburban train lines to create a 76.3 km high capacity line between Gebze and Halkali. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ...

The Istanbul Strait crossing will be done by a 1.8 km earthquake-proof immersed tube, assembled from 18 sections and placed 55 m below sea level. This tube will be accessed by bored tunnels from Yenikapi on the European side and Sogutlucesme on the Asian side of Istanbul. Intermediate stations will be done at Sirkeci and Uskudar. An interchange station with Istanbul metro and light rail will be built at Yenikapi. The upgrade of the suburban lines requires the laying of a third track along most of the way to increase the line capacity up to 75.000 passengers per hour in each direction. Signaling must also be modernized to allow 2 minutes headway service. The 41 stations along the line will be refurbished. The total travel time will be 105 minutes. The investment cost of the project amounts to US$ 840 million. Üsküdar (ancient Scutari) was a city in Bithynia in Anatolia. ...

Marmaray project is expected to be finished in 2010. After its completion, the share of the rail transport will rise from 3.6% up to 27.7%, placing Istanbul to 3rd rank in the world after Tokyo and New York City. 2010 (MMX) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ... The city is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the worlds major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris) with a virtually unrivaled collection of museums, galleries, performance venues, media outlets, international corporations, and stock exchanges. ...

See also

• Public transport in Istanbul

Public transport in Istanbul comprises of an extensive bus network, various rail systems, funiculars and maritime services for the more than 10 million inhabitans of the city with an area of 5712 km². // Early days Public road transport in Istanbul dates back to August 30, 1869, when a contract to...

External links

• Marmaray Web Site in English
• Marmaray Web Site