Marmaray Project with Bosporus Tunnel in Istanbul/TR – immersed Tunnel

Taisei Corp.

Bosporus section of the tunnel project: the European side with the Istanbul suburb of Sirkeci on the left and Kadiköy in Asia on the right

Taisei Corp.

Lay-out and schematic section of the Bosporus Tunnel. The different driving methods are discernible in the bottom diagram

Taisei Corp.

Precast dockyard in the port of Fenerbahçe. With the docks on the left in which the base plate and the outer walls were cast; the cover slabs for the floating precast segments were concreted on the right

Taisei Corp.

Floating crane lowering a precast element

Taisei Corp.

Robert Mehl

There are several connections between the 2 halves of the tube in each precast segment – view of one of the future tracks

Robert Mehl

Fire protective coating

Robert Mehl

Land tunnel section in the Asian side dipping towards the sea between the Metro station and the underwater passage

Robert Mehl

The land tunnel was lined with a segment shell. It was also provided with a fire protective coating.

Robert Mehl

View from the tunnel of the future Kadiköy Metro station

Robert Mehl

The future entrance to the Kadiköy Metro station. This was used as the main tunnel entrance during the construction phase

Robert Mehl

Structural joint between the bored and immersed tunnel section

Robert Mehl

Cement silos in the Oyak Beton cement plant on the city’s Asian side

Robert Mehl

Robert Mehl/Taisei Corp.

Historic section drawing with the design of a submarine tunnel viaduct in the Bosporus

Robert Mehl/Taisei Corp.

The Ottoman rulers dreamed of a rail tunnel beneath the Bosporus as far back as 1860. More than 150 years later at the end of this year, this vision of linking the European part of Turkey with its Asian pendant underground will be accomplished.

Whereas other metropolises display concern that their commuter transportation systems might suddenly come to a halt, this situation is a daily one in Istanbul. Even on normal weekdays, it is advisable to schedule more than 90 minutes outside the rush hour for a distance, which is comparable with say travelling from Spandau and Friedrichshain in Berlin. Public commuter transportation, in spite of the ambitious manner in which it is being developed at present, can be described as practically non-existent for a city of this category. There is an urban transit line, which at some point transforms...