Kağıthane Municipality has started to work to revive the historical railway line, the foundations of which were laid in 1915. In the written statement made by Kağıthane Municipality, it was reported that work has been started to make the district a place where modern time and historical texture are blended by realizing the historical railway line.
Starting its works from historical documents and ruins, Kağıthane Municipality has determined the route of the Kagithane Railway, which was established under the name of "Golden Horn-Black Sea Sahara Line" during the First World War, in order to transport coal to the Guntaraga Electric Factory. Later on, with the support of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Municipality accelerated its work and applied to the Board of Monuments for the registration of the line.
As a result of the inspections carried out by the municipality, it was learned that the line could be rebuilt in accordance with its original structure and that the historical railway line to be constructed could be used for cultural tourism outside the city, while the remaining part of the city center could be used for public transportation.
Of the 4 main stations on the line, the closest station to the city was Kağıthane.
According to historical sources, the Golden Horn-Black Sea field line, which was established as a connection line between the Guntarağa Power Plant operating in Istanbul in 1914, and the lignite quarries in the north of the city, transported the coal, which was extracted from Zonguldak and brought to Istanbul by sea, to Silahtarağa Power Plant. The second leg of the line was put into service when the coal supply was started in the First World War.
Starting from Silahtarağa Power Plant, the line running north through the west coast of the Kagithane Creek and passing through Göktürk was divided into two branches in Kemerburgaz. One branch was following the Kagithane Stream and passing under Uzunkemer, meeting the Black Sea in the village of Agacli. Among the 4 main stations on the line, the closest one to the city was the Kagithane Station.
The rails of the closed line were buried in the ground. Non-soil parts were removed. While the sections of the passage route outside the city still exist today, many of the milestones have survived to the present day.
Golden Horn and Anatolian Side will be connected
Stating that the Golden Horn and the Anatolian Side will be connected with the project, Kağıthane Mayor Fazlı Kılıç said, “This railway is a very important milestone in the history of Kağıthane. If we allow the traces of this road to disappear completely and do not rebuild it, we would be doing a great disservice to history. I was dreaming of this railway before I became the mayor. As soon as we took office, we brought the whole archive before us and thought long and hard about what to do. We have received information on this subject from historians and technical people. I talked to TCDD management and had a mapping work done on the old line.
After finalizing the mapping work carried out jointly by Kağıthane Municipality and State Railways teams, we invited Kadir Topbaş, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, to inform him on the spot about the railway and its route. We saw that Chairman Topbaş was knowledgeable and interested in this subject. We also gave a detailed briefing on the map and route. Mr. Kadir called the General Manager of TCDD and asked for technical support at a moment of this briefing we gave along the way. Right after this trip, Kadir Topbaş gave instructions to the Istanbul Metropolitan Planning Bureau, that the line should be processed on maps and plans, and that a project should be designed for the rebuilding of the railway. As a result of this instruction, the working group established in the Metropolitan Plan Office toured the land, made a helicopter flight over the line and prepared a preliminary study. The draft of the created project was completed in April 2009. This road will bring the two seas together,” he said.
With the good news given by our Prime Minister, our century-old dream will come true.
Stating that they continue their work on the land after this stage, Mayor Kılıç said, “We have come to a certain stage in consultation with Eyüp, another district where the line passes. In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Black Sea water channel, which was moved to Kagithane last year, our Prime Minister gave the good news that the Guntar - Agacli railway line will be rebuilt. So our century-old dream started to come true. This train line joins through the Third Bosphorus Bridge near Çiftalan village in the north. You know that there will be a train line on this road. We will also establish a transfer station at the junction point of our train line. Thus, those who want to cross the Asian Side will be able to get off the train and get on another. Thus, the Golden Horn will be connected to the Anatolian Side as well. ”
In the statement, which was stated to be one of the new brands of Istanbul with the revealing of the historical railway, it was noted that Kâ Kağıthane continues to blend the past and the modern world.
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