IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu delivered a speech in the “Massive Step in Rail Systems” meeting. İmamoğlu said, “The ones who had been managing this city founded an entire system of waste instead of solving the city’s biggest and most critical problem.” İmamoğlu continued, “We were assigned on 23 June 2019 and by then, the total length of 12 rail system lines, including the suspended lines, had been 140.9 kilometers. Seven lines had been tendered over a single night and then suspended by an official letter 29 December 2017. Construction of a 103.4-kilometer-long subway with 10 lines and the aforesaid 7 lines were either unfinished or not started due to lack of funds for over 2.5 years.”
Pointing to the restart of all subway lines’ construction thanks to the funds they collected, İmamoğlu announced that they would also be launching a tender for HIZRAY. Within the scope of the “Beylikdüzü-Esenyurt-Sefaköy-İncirli Subway Line Project,” they will be designing this year, HIZRAY will pass through 17 districts. IMM Mayor said, “The rail system network we will built as the IMM, will reach 253.45 kilometers in our term, including the 100.3-kilometer-long lines we will be completing. IMM Mayor added, “Istanbul’s entire rail system network will cover 424.85 kilometers, including the 91.5-kilometer-long lines to be completed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. In 2024-2029, with the addition of new lines our whole network will increase to 622.15 kilometers.”
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) held a meeting titled “Massive Step in Rail Systems.” CHP’s Vice-Chair Onursal Adıgüzel, İYİ Parti’s Vice-Chairs Arzu Önşen and Bahadır Erdem, members of the parliament, mayors of the districts, members of IMM Assembly, representatives of political parties and IMM’s senior management attended the meeting. Delivering a speech at the meeting held at Haliç Congress Center, Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu mentioned that Canan Kaftancıoğlu (CHP’s Provincial President of İstanbul) and Buğra Kavuncu (IYI Parti’s Provincial President of İstanbul) were also the participants of the event. İmamoğlu reminded the audience that they collaborated and campaigned with these two political figures during the local elections of 2019. IMM Mayor stressed that the ones losing on March 31 and June 23 in 2019 were striving to blame Kaftancıoğlu and Kavuncu for their defeat, and said, “They have been striving to discover new ways to punish and bother our two presidents. We will never leave you standing alone. United, we are strong.”
“CITIZENS DEMAND A SOLUTION, NOT A CRAZY PROJECT”
Mentioning that a pre-pandemic period research conducted had identified transport and traffic as the most critical problems of the city, İmamoğlu underlined the citizens’ anticipation for these issues to be resolved. İmamoğlu expressed that instead of tackling the city’s actual problems, city’s former administrators favored “crazy projects” that remained from the 18th century and added, “The ones who had been managing the city for years founded a system of total waste rather than dealing with the city’s biggest and most vital problems.” İmamoğlu stated that the ones who launched campaigns with the motto “subway anywhere, building subways everywhere” failed to pass the test when it came to constructing subways and justified his claims with digital data. İmamoğlu added, “The cities across the world with similar size managed to build 25-30-kilometer-long rail systems per year. However, before our term, the yearly average of subway construction could not reach even 5 kilometers for 25 years.”
“UNLAWFUL TENDERS WITHOUT ANY FUNDS HAD BEEN LAUNCHED”
Touching upon the rather lengthy period of a quarter-century wasted this way, in his speech, İmamoğlu listed the mistakes made throughout this process. İmamoğlu stated that instead of lasting solutions that would facilitate citizens’ daily lives, costly and temporary projects were conducted. IMM Mayor underlined that the tenders launched for such projects had been unlawful and lacked funds. Pointing to the impossibility of conducting large-scaled projects solely through IMM’s resources, İmamoğlu continued, “Had we initiated such projects through our resources, perhaps the construction of an effective rail system that facilitates life and reduces the traffic problem in İstanbul would have taken a hundred years. Therefore, we need to fund our projects with external sources and develop various financing models. All across the world, large-scaled projects are funded through sources other than the municipality’s budget all across the world.”
“PROJECTS LACKING THE INTEGRITY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION”
Declaring that the budget for seven different subway lines tendered simultaneously in 2017 currently amounted to nearly US$ 27 billion, İmamoğlu underlined that this figure was nearly equal to IMM’s 2021 budget. IMM Mayor noted that the former directors, incapable of acting rationally, managed to launch tenders for the projects yet; they either did not consider or failed to consider ways of funding them. According to İmamoğlu, implementation projects had been another neglected point. The Mayor introduced the tender for the Mahmutbey-Bahçeşehir-Esenyurt line as an example. İmamoğlu told that the construction of this line had never been launched, and added, “These are unfortunately projects, methods and implementations which failed to comply with the integrity of public management. For this reason, the finance institutions avoided funding these lines for a long time. The same year, Dear Mevlüt Uysal’s administration, which had been assigned temporarily, had to terminate all these lines’ construction processes the same year.”
“AN OFFICIAL LETTER SUSPENDING 7 LINES ON 29 DECEMBER 2017”
İmamoğlu described the developments of that period:
“The total length of 12 rail system lines in İstanbul, including the suspended lines, totaled to 140.9 kilometers as of 23 June 2019, our assignment date. The project for seven lines tendered over a single night had been halted on 29 December 2017 by an official letter. The construction of a 103.4-kilometer-long subway with 10 lines and the 7 lines as mentioned earlier were either unfinished or not started due to financial shortages for over 2.5 years. Unfortunately, suspending the worksite cost nearly TRY 11 billion. The total length of two rail system lines with ongoing funded construction processes had been 37.5 kilometers. In various districts and at central locations, we took over evacuated worksites and huge pits surrounded with panels that were hazardous for the residents.”
“RAIL SYSTEMS HAVE TO BE THE BACKBONE OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM”
Pointing to their integrated and inclusive approach for tackling the problem, İmamoğlu stated that establishing the “İstanbul Transportation Platform” had been one of their initial steps. IMM Mayor underlined that through this platform, they aimed to build İstanbul’s vision with all the shareholders and added, “We plan to achieve an accessible, affordable, integrated and inclusive urban transportation system that prioritizes climate change and environmental problems in line with the green, fair and creative city vision we identified for İstanbul.” In his remark, İmamoğlu touched on their activities for extending alternative means of transport such as bicycles and emphasized the necessity of high-quality public transportation for rendering İstanbul’s transport system economically sustainable and resilient. The Mayor expressed the importance of pedestrians’ access to public transportation points and underlined that they aimed to achieve a pedestrian-friendly and walkable city. Claiming, “Rail systems have to be the backbone of İstanbul’s public transportation systems.” İmamoğlu spoke of their activities regarding alternative transportation types to that end.
“WE ISSUED BONDS WHEN THE FUNDS FAILED TO SUFFICE”
İmamoğlu reminded that during their election campaign, instead of projects that wasted the resources and neglected problems of the citizens they had prioritized the subway and underlined their plan to swiftly complete the unfinished lines which had been committed to be accomplished by the former administration. Pointing to their efforts to find funding for a significant leap in the rail system’s infrastructure, İmamoğlu underlined the signing for the first international funding in autumn 2019. Noting that due to the projects’ size the funds failed to suffice, IMM Mayor spoke of their new financing model of issuing bonds launched in October 2019. Saying, “Observing a transparent and accountable administration based on the principle of merit and working for the public welfare in İstanbul, the international finance corporations offered an amount that quadrupled the US$ 580 million worth bonds we issued.” İmamoğlu added that they funded their “rail systems breakthrough” in this way.
LISTED THE FUNDED PROJECTS
İmamoğlu shared the following data regarding the rail system projects they have been launching one after another:
– Signing a 175 million euro agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Black Sea Trade and Development Bank and Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Bank in August 2019. The construction works at the Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe Subway Line was resumed on 10 October 2019.
– Signing a 110 million euro loan agreement with the Deutsche Bank in October 2019. The construction of the Çekmeköy-Sancaktepe-Sultanbeyli Subway Line’s 1st Phase was recommenced on 7 January 2020. Initially, the works at the 1st Phase of the line between Çekmeköy and Sancaktepe City Hospital will be completed. Additional financing of 60 million euros was achieved for the project through the funds collected by issuing Eurobonds. In this way, this line’s works extending to Sultanbeyli has been accelerated with this fund.
– A loan agreement worth of 86 million was signed with the French Development Agency in February 2020. On 20 February 2020, 1st Phase construction of the Kaynarca-Pendik-Tuzla line was resumed. With the additional 34 million euro worth of funds provided through issuing Eurobonds, the constructions over the line’s 1st Phase comprised of Pendik Center- Kaynarca-Hospital will be finished.
– The 100 Million euro loan which was reserved for the Eminönü-Alibeyköy-Tramline Project drained during the term of the former administration. The construction of the Project launched in 2016 was suspended completely. So, a fund from IMM’s own resources has been allocated to this project in March 2020 and the construction has been started again.
– Rumelihisarüstü-Aşiyan Funicular Line Project launched in 2017 was entirely halted in March 2019 due to financial shortages. A fund was raised in June 2020 for launching the construction works in this line.
– Similarly, the loan reserved for the Dudullu-Bostancı Subway Line Project inaugurated in 2016 was entirely spent, and the construction stopped as of March 2019. In June 2020, a fund was designated through the equities and the works were launched again.
– A fund of 170 million euros was provided for the Kirazlı-Halkalı Subway Line Project through the funds collected by issuing Eurobonds. The construction works will be resumed within this month with this fund.
– A 220 million euro fund was transferred to the Mahmutbey-Bahçeşehir-Esenyurt Subway Line Project from the financing achieved by issuing Eurobonds. Within the scope of resuming the construction work through this fund, design activities are in progress.
– Regarding the İkitelli-Ataköy Subway Line, one of the two ongoing projects at the time of assignment, a 64 percent progress has been achieved quickly. The 2.1-kilometer-long part will be launched to service this year. The line will be entirely put into service next year.
“10 PROJECTS TO BE COMPLETED BY 2024”
Announcing that they were observing rapid progress in the construction works of the lines, İmamoğlu said in this context, “We put the 18-kilometer-long part of the Kabataş-Mecidiyeköy-Mahmutbey extending from Mecidiyeköy to Mahmutbey into the service of the İstanbulites on 28 October 2020. On 1 January 2021, we launched the 9-kilometer-long part of the Eminönü-Alibeyköy Tramline, between Cibali and Alibeyköy bus station to service.” İmamoğlu declared that the ten projects they resumed following their assignment would be fully completed in 2021-2024 to serve the İstanbulites. Telling, “All these can be achieved by conducting rail system construction at ten lines in 2021 and 12 lines in 2022. Thus, IMM’s rail system network will reach 253.45 kilometers, including the 100.3-kilometer-long rail system we shall complete in our term. With the inclusion of the 91.5-kilometer-long lines to be completed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Istanbul will embrace a rail system network of 424.85 kilometers. Finally, our whole network will cover 622.15 kilometers with the new lines to be accomplished in 2024-2029. We are designing these lines’ projects.”
TENDERS TO BE LAUNCHED FOR BEYLİKDÜZÜ-İNCİRLİ SUBWAY LINE AND HIZRAY
Underlining the employment opportunities created by the resumed projects, İmamoğlu added, “As of today, thanks to the ongoing ten projects, the number of employment opportunities provided reached 5.000. We have employed 4.000 people since June 2019. These employment opportunities will increase further with the new projects.” İmamoğlu announced the tenders for two new significant lines to be launched in 2021. IMM Mayor informed the participants that these projects comprised of the “Beylikdüzü – Esenyurt – Sefaköy – İncirli Subway Line” and the HIZRAY Project which will facilitate İstanbulites’ lives in 17 districts including Beylikdüzü, Esenyurt, Avcılar, Küçükçekmece, Bağcılar, Esenler, Bayrampaşa, Gaziosmanpaşa, Eyüp, Kağıthane, Beşiktaş, Üsküdar, Ümraniye, Ataşehir, Sancaktepe, Sultanbeyli, and Pendik.
“WE SHALL INCREASE THE RATE OF RAIL SYSTEMS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO 45 PERCENT”
Telling, “We are aware that the ‘new normal’ regarding in-city transportation will have to focus on hygiene and people in the post-pandemic period” İmamoğlu ended his speech: “The decline in the utilization of public transportation we see today and tendency to commute in private cars will change after the pandemic. Public transportation mainly based on rail systems is essential in metropoles such as İstanbul. We have been exerting great effort to achieve this great breakthrough we initiated. In parallel with the increasing sensitivity about health, we will proceed with common sense and inclusive models to develop correct and healthy solutions in public transportation area that is closely linked with the daily lives of the citizens residing in our city and the visitors of İstanbul. We will more than double the rail system level in public transportation remaining at the level of 18 percent in the short run. This rate will reach 35 percent by the time we completed the lines we have been constructing. In the medium run, with the launch of the Beylikdüzü Subway Line and HIZRAY into service, the utilization of rail systems in public transportation will increase to 45 percent.”
“UTILIZATION OF CARBON-BASED FUELS WILL BE REDUCED”
This rate will permanently relieve the in-city traffic and reduce the amount of carbon-based fuels consumed in İstanbul. The mobility in the city will increase. Life standards of the İstanbulites will reach the levels of similar metropoles in developed countries. Until then, we will continue to work in line with the commitment to build rail systems across İstanbul in a manner committed to the plans and schedule I mentioned today. As I have committed during my campaign, we can solve all the problems of İstanbul, particularly the traffic and transportation issues, as long as we do not surrender to the culture of waste. Prioritize the welfare and interests of this sacred city and 16 million İstanbulites when delivering the services. As I end my speech, I want to repeatedly utter the words ‘masks, social distancing and hygiene’ to all our citizens. Hereby, I strongly emphasize the vaccination campaign. Ignore the claims against the vaccination process, and please make an appointment for vaccination.”
