Work continues at full speed on the Körfezray Metro, a huge transportation project that will take Kocaeli to the level of world metropolises. In this important project, which is being implemented with the cooperation of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, while examinations continue at the stations, shafts and depot areas on the route, current and planned infrastructure facilities and infrastructure displacement works are also progressing simultaneously. Within the scope of the project, work is also starting in the city center of İzmit and drilling works are planned to start in the Cumhuriyet Park Station area in the coming days.
The Goal is to Carry 500 Thousand Passengers a Day
The Körfezray Metro Project, which was implemented to ensure that citizens living in Kocaeli can travel safely, comfortably and conveniently, is aimed to reach 300 thousand passengers per day in the first phase when it becomes operational, and this number will reach 500 thousand passengers in the future. While the station, shaft and depot area settlements on the project route are being meticulously examined, the existing and planned infrastructure facilities, engineering structures and infrastructure displacement works are also being carried out with great care.
Central Construction Site Installation Completed, TBM Assembly Started
While the excavation and shoring works at the Seka DH Station, for which the Metropolitan Municipality allocated a site to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, continue under the supervision of the Kocaeli Museum Directorate, the segment factory and concrete batching plant installation works, which will form the backbone of the project in the same region, are also progressing simultaneously. The excavation and shoring works at the Derince Millet Bahçesi Station, traffic circulation approvals for the areas to be closed due to construction works along the route and infrastructure project approval processes are among the important steps expected to be completed. The parts and equipment of the giant tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will carry out the main line tunnel excavations were also brought to the project site and assembly works were started. The SEKA Field central construction site installation, which is the heart of the project, is among the important works that have been completed.
Disruption in Transportation Will Be Minimized
Considering that the field work of the Körfezray Metro Project will be spread to many points, it is of great importance to keep the roads open in the first stage while the construction sites of the project stations are closed. In this context, the construction sites at Derince Station, Milli İrade Station and Bekirdere Station are first closed, but the existing roads are kept open to traffic.
Drilling Work Begins in Izmit City Center
The Körfezray Metro Project, which is being carried out in coordination with the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, is planned to be carried to the city center of İzmit. Within the scope of the project, drilling operations are expected to start in the coming days as part of ground survey studies in the Cumhuriyet Park Station area, located in the heart of İzmit.
Kocaeli's Biggest Investment
The $1.8 billion Körfezray Metro Project, which has a huge budget of $400 billion in line construction and $2.2 million in vehicle investment, is the largest investment to be implemented in a single transaction in the history of Kocaeli. The Körfezray Metro Line also has strategic importance in the Transportation Master Plan, which is a part of the long-term transportation planning of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality.
Annual Passenger Capacity of 101 Million
The 1-kilometer double-track rail system and 26,85 modern stations to be built in the first phase of the Kocaeli Northern Light Rail System Line will significantly increase the comfort of urban transportation. With the implementation of the project, it is aimed to transport approximately 18 thousand passengers per day and 300 million passengers per year on the east-west axis of Kocaeli.
Integration Points of the Metro Line with Important Centers
The Körfezray Metro Line will further strengthen Kocaeli's transportation network with integrations to be provided with important centers on its route:
- Izmit Seka Park Main Transfer (Mobility) Center: Integration with TCDD Line, Sea Lines and Tram will be provided.
- İzmit National Will Square Main Transfer (Mobility) Center: Integration with Tram, TCDD, South and University HRS Lines will be offered.
- Izmit Bus Terminal Main Transfer (Mobility) Center: It will be connected with intercity and intracity bus lines.
- Gulf Transfer Center: Integration with public transportation systems in the Körfez district will be ensured.
- Derince State Hospital Transfer Center: It will be a transfer point that will facilitate transportation to the hospital.
- Cenesuyu Transfer Center: Integration will be provided with the rubber-tired public transportation systems in Derince district.
- Kurucesme Transfer Center: Integration with the existing tram line will be possible.
- Bekirdere Transfer Center: It will be connected to public transportation lines in the region.
- Dumlupınar Transfer Center: Integration with the transportation axes in the region will be ensured.
This rapid progress in the Körfezray Metro Project is considered an important step that will bring Kocaeli's transportation infrastructure to contemporary standards and elevate the city to its rightful place among world metropolises. With the project coming into service in 2028, transportation in Kocaeli will gain a completely different dimension.
