• Publish Date
  08.11.2023
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The Galataport-Beyazıt Touristic Tram Line made its inaugural journey with a group of 1,000 Japanese tourists

Metro Istanbul made a first-of-its-kind move in the world by adding value to cruise tourism with the Galataport-Beyazıt Touristic Tramway Line. The line made its inaugural journey on Sunday, November 5th. Operating during off-peak hours when passenger density is low on the T1 Kabataş-Bağcılar Tramway Line, this special route's first passengers were a group of 1,000 Japanese tourists.

In recent years, as a result of investments, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's subsidiary Metro Istanbul, with its expanding rail system network, took a significant step for the city's tourism. Within the framework of the collaboration signed between Metro Istanbul and TÜRSAB, the Galataport-Beyazıt Touristic Tramway Line was launched on Sunday, November 5th, with a group of 1,000 tourists from Japan arriving on the world-famous Peace Boat ship.

A first in the world...
Dr. Özgür Soy, the General Manager of Metro Istanbul, mentioned that they brought the project to life after a long period of work, stating, "We are celebrating the first day of this long-term project here today. We are currently at the special station prepared for Galataport. We planned a special tramway service from Galataport to the Historic Peninsula for cruise passengers. After extensive work, we have implemented it. Today, we made the first journey on our line, which provides direct access to the city center for cruise passengers via tram, a first in the world. The first passengers of this special tramway, which will contribute to the tourism of our city and our country, were a group of 1,000 tourists from the friendly and brotherly country, Japan, which will coincide with the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2024."

We will contribute to the project of pedestrianizing the Historic Peninsula."
Dr. Soy emphasized that the project would bring many benefits to both Istanbul and tourists. He stated, "Cruise tourism is very important, both for Istanbul and the tourists. Cruise passengers are considered the highest level socio-cultural and economic travelers, graded as A+. It is a significant problem for passengers arriving in our city via cruise ships to reach Sultanahmet. The lineup of hundreds of buses on the Historic Peninsula causes environmental pollution and parking issues in the area. This creates a major inconvenience for both tourists and our citizens who have business in the area throughout the day. For example, if the 1,000 people who arrived in our city today had used the road, they would have needed 25 buses with a capacity of 40 people each, leading to parking problems. The heavy use of road vehicles also lowers air quality. From this perspective, withdrawing 25 buses from traffic reduced carbon emissions and saved 30 trees for our planet. When cruise passengers use road vehicles, they sometimes spend 1.5-2 hours in traffic and can arrive at the Historic Peninsula delayed. However, even a minute is crucial for cruise passengers. Every minute they spend here is very important for them and valuable for the city. That's why we planned a service that will take them there in 17 minutes. Accordingly, our passengers will be able to board trains from the station specially prepared for cruise passengers, directly reaching the Historic Peninsula. In this way, we will also contribute to the project of pedestrianizing the Historic Peninsula. Today, we are conducting the first journey. That's why we are very excited and happy."

"We initiated a service that will add value to our country by utilizing our existing resources."
Dr. Özgür Soy, pointing out the widespread use of rail systems in many countries worldwide, stated, "When we look at the use of public transportation within the city by the tourists coming to our country, we see that a significant portion is covered by rail systems. The Galataport-Beyazıt Touristic Tramway Line, which made its inaugural journey today, will serve tourists arriving at Galataport Port via cruises during off-peak hours on our T1 line. In this way, we have started a service that will add value to our country without making additional investments, utilizing our existing resources. May it be beneficial for our country and our city." 
The first passengers of the Galataport-Beyazıt Touristic Tramway Line, a group of 1,000 Japanese tourists, were welcomed at the tram station with Turkish and Japanese flags, performances of Barış Manço songs and Turkish classical music by metro musicians. These inaugural passengers were also presented with traditional Turkish delights such as Turkish coffee and lokum as gifts.

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