Metro Istanbul, one of the subsidiaries of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), received the registration certificate for the R&D Center it established to eliminate foreign dependency for the needs of the city's rail systems and to export technology. Thus, Metro Istanbul became a monorail system operator with a registered R&D Center that actively works and produces projects in Turkey.
Turkey's largest urban rail system operator, Metro Istanbul, continues its efforts to reduce foreign dependency and export technology by combining its 34 years of management experience and its project experience. Metro Istanbul's application for the registration of the R&D Center it established for this purpose was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Technology on September 26. Registration certificates were delivered at the 9th R&D and Design Centers and Technology Development Zones Summit held in İzmir.
With the registration certificate it received, Metro Istanbul became a monorail system operator with an R&D Center that actively works and produces projects in Turkey.
Registration process took 2 years
Informing that they first applied for the registration of the R&D Center in October 2020, Metro Istanbul General Manager Özgür Soy said, “The registration process took longer than we expected. The inspection and control process initiated by the Ministry of Industry and Technology in December 2020 was concluded in March 2021 and we received a negative response. We repeated our application several times, working on the feedback given. Our R&D Center was registered on September 2, 26, as a result of the inspections carried out after a period of approximately 2022 years.
“We produce solutions for the needs of the industry”
Stating that the strength and prevalence of the rail system network is accepted as one of the development indicators of cities all over the world, General Manager Soy said, “There are huge investments in this area in our city as well. Metro construction sites, the construction of which was stopped in 2019, started to operate at full speed, and now Istanbul is the city where the construction of the most rail system lines in the world continues. With the completion of these constructions by 2024, Istanbul's rail system network will enter the top 10 in the world and the top 3 in Europe. In line with the vision of IMM to position rail systems as the backbone of public transportation, we not only expand our metro networks in our breakthrough in rail systems, but also produce our own technology by combining our 34 years of operation and 24 years of project experience. Thus, we continue our efforts to reduce foreign dependency by providing localization in the sector and to save both time and money. While maintaining its leadership in the sector as an urban rail systems operator, we are a technology company that produces solutions to the development and needs of the ecosystem.”
“All of our projects are born out of a need”
Noting that they have developed projects with a team of 47 people working in the R&D Center, Özgür Soy said, “All of our projects are born out of a need. Thanks to our management experience, we develop our projects by thinking 360 degrees with passenger feedback and maintenance-repair experience. For example; Step chains used in escalators are the most costly consumables. In case of any failure, it takes a long time and high cost to supply these chains from abroad. Thanks to the R&D project we have developed, we will save on costs, and we will be able to quickly eliminate the grievances of our passengers by shortening our response time in case of malfunctions. We are working on many projects such as Passenger Information System (YBS), Platform Separator Door Systems (PAKS), Expedition Planning Software Project, Mobile Catenary System and many other projects that will serve passenger comfort and provide cost advantages and meet the needs of rail systems. With some of our projects, we are developing solutions not only for rail systems but also for all public transportation modes.”
“Patent applications were made for 4 projects”
Stating that they had to pay abroad for every step they will take, especially in terms of technology, for every change they will make, General Manager Soy said, “However, there are very successful engineers in Turkey. Our engineers in our team of 47 people working in our R&D Center have completed 11 projects so far, and we are in the patent application process for 4 of them. He continues to work on 10 projects.
“We produce projects for all corners of Turkey”
Stating that they cooperate with other cities in Turkey besides Istanbul, Özgür Soy said, “We are not only expanding Istanbul's metro network, but also developing rail system projects not only for Istanbul but also for all over Turkey in order to reduce foreign dependency. After the project agreement we made with Ankara; We held cooperation meetings for important projects with the municipalities of Adana, Mersin, Karadeniz Ereğli, Bozüyük, Hatay, Kırşehir and Çaycuma. We are open to evaluating requests from all over Turkey,” he said.
“We earn the money of the people of Istanbul while spending it for the people of Istanbul”
Reminding that Metro Istanbul carries half of the urban rail system passengers in Turkey, Özgür Soy said, “We are a company that derives its income mainly from its passengers and we spend this income to provide better service to 16 million Istanbul residents. Our main goal is not to waste a single penny while making this expenditure. The savings we will gain from our R&D projects will be used as a fund to provide different services to Istanbulites. At the same time, we will contribute to the country's economy by working with our domestic stakeholders and preventing our country's money from going abroad. In this sense, we attach great importance to our R&D studies.”
Advantages of the registration certificate
Metro Istanbul will have the following advantages with the registration of the R&D Center it has established with the internal resources of the company:
- The acceptance rate of the projects produced in the sector will increase.
- With the directive and supervision of the Ministry, R&D and project culture will be built on more solid foundations.
- Collaborations with universities will increase and the academic interface will be improved.
- The R&D Center will be an academic center of attraction for sector employees. Both R&D projects will be given opportunities in master's and doctorate education and will contribute to the development of employees.
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