The project that Istanbul Municipality has decided to abandon consisted in the construction of a monorail to link Sefaköy, Halkalı and Başakşehir on 15 km. Called Havaray, the project had been valuated at TRY 861.2 million (USD 290 million). In turn, Istanbul Mayor, Mevlüt Uysal, announced that the attention of the municipality, as well as available funds, will focus on the development of light rail and metro routes.
“Although an attractive project, its implementation was difficult to accept by shopkeepers and the population, especially by those in Sefaköy district, after the tender was launched. We have received various complaints about the expropriations that had already been done, but also about the fact that Havaray railway would have crossed a narrow area, close to the buildings. Therefore, the pollution thus resulted would have been very high, as well as the citizens’ discomfort”, said Mayor Mevlüt Uysal.
According to him, the authorities have decided to build a light rail line and a metro line to connect the three districts. Consequently, the project will be reviewed, and a tender will be launched as soon as possible. Mayor Uysal also said the metro will be especially useful in Küçükçekmece Beşyol area. Moreover, suburban train line Eminönü-Halkalı (currently under construction, a project carried out by the Ministry of Transport) will significantly contribute to easing traffic in Küçükçekmece area. The authorities estimate that the suburban line connecting Eminönü to Halkalı could be commissioned in 2018.
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