Value for money LRT in Turkey

During the last ten years,Turkey has invested in two heavy rail metro systems, seven light rail systems, and two nostalgic or ‘tourist’ tramways.All of these systems are operating to capacity, each meeting the planned ridership forecasts,with the possible exception of the Istanbul Metro.

Building a Metro is an expensive business and in both Istanbul and Ankara there have been no exceptions to this rule. Building a cost effective, value for money LRT, however, depends very much on the ingenuity of the design concept and the ability to complete on time and on budget by the contractors. In this respect what has been achieved in the cities of Turkey although not unique, can be upheld as a very good example of how Light Rail Transport can be introduced for a relatively low cost. In particular, this applies to Eskisehir, a city of 450,000 inhabitants high up on the Anatolian Plateau where 17kms of tramway was constructed through the CBD. This took less than 24 months at a total cost of US$120million including the supply of 18-30m Flexi Outlook Vehicles from Bombardier, a depot and all the associated civil works.

Getting things done in Turkey

Since the establishment of Turkey as we know it today, in September 1923, its progress has largely been achieved thanks to the foresight and determination of particular individuals.Attaturk was the greatest of these, forging a modern secular State, independent from the previous religious dogma and as near perfect to democracy as anywhere in the world. He personally developed the modern Turkish language, established an admired State education system and opened Universities in all the major cities.

During the past 75 years, however, Infrastructure projects have largely depended on the ambitions of the leaders at City or Municipality. It has generally been the local Mayors throughout the country who get an infrastructure project underway. The mayors are also instrumental to make financial arrangements for their projects.

In the 1990s with the growth of car ownership, life in the major cities started to deteriorate with continuous traffic congestion and urban development extending beyond the city boundaries. The existing railway systems are all owned by the TCDD, which is a quasi Government Organisation with the second largest manpower after the Army. Unfortunately, with the steady decline in both freight and passenger traffic, it is effectively without funds for any implementation of new lines or the modernisation of its existing suburban or inner city routes. The scene in the early 1990s was ripe for promoting the development of new independent Light Rail Systems. In the municipal elections of 1992, public transport, in the form of an LRT, became the most important priority for the public. These included Istanbul, (extension) Ankara, Izmir,Adana, Bursa, and Konya. In 1996,Antalya and Isparta were added to the list of new development projects and in 2000, Eskisehir was also added. In 2004, Kayseri and Samsun together with the Izmir extension have been added to the list of new public transport development.

Having obtained the publics support by electing the Mayor, who was pushing for an LRT, it then required the Municipality to persuade the responsible ministry in the government in Ankara that the project was viable and could be financed out of local funds using overseas credit against a State guarantee. In order for the municipality to persuade the Government about the viability of the project to be financed with local funds, more detailed studies were conducted. This was largely with the help of major international consultancies that led to the publishing of tender documents and eventually the receipt of proposals. The first of these was for the Light Rail System (Hafif Metro) on the European side of Istanbul.

The Istanbul Light Rail Systems and Metro

In the early part of the 20th century, Istanbul had a fine network of tramways however, by 1970, almost all of these had disappeared. This was with the exception of the line from the bottom of the Golden Horn at Eminonu, where the International Railway Station exists at Sirkeci, to the area known as Zeytinburnu just outside the south western city walls.

This street running tramway was modernised in 1991 with the addition of a new fleet of vehicles that had originally been destined for the LRT system, which was then under construction. These vehicles, which have completed 15 years service, are returning to the Hafif Metro, being replaced by the latest series of Light Rail vehicles from the Bombardier workshops in Vienna.At the same time, the tramway is being extended across the bridge onto the Golden Horn, where it runs alongside the Bosphorus.

As early as June 1984, the expressions of interest had been asked by the Istanbul Mayor office for a new railway (LRT) alignment to connect the Business District of Aksaray to the proposed long distant bus terminal at Esenler together with an extension to the International Airport.A turnkey contract was eventually awarded to ABB in Sweden in 1990 and the first section to Yeni Bosna via Esenler was opened in 1995. Today the system includes the extension to the new Attaturk International Airport with a total length of 22km and carries on average 120,000 passengers a day. The total cost for this system has so far been US$750million. The journey time from the Airport to the Terminal at Aksaray is 38 minutes giving an average speed of 34kph.

The Istanbul Metro conversely had long been planned and expressions of interest were called for as early as 1976.A contract was placed with Siemens in 1993, but after a year or so of negotiations it was abandoned and in 1995, a new contract was placed with Alstom/Cegelec. The first section of the Metro, consisting of 8km and 6 underground stations, was opened for service in August 2000 at a total cost of US$950million.At this time, only eight sets of 4-car trains are in service, providing a five minute headway with a journey time of 12 minutes.Although capable of carrying up to 60,000 passengers per hour per direction, the system at present is running with a daily patronage of less than 50,000.A further 5.4km of the system with four stations has been under construction since 1998, which will in due course link it to the Light Rail System. However, crossing the Golden Horn and avoiding the many historical sites that are buried underground in the route of the extension has made it very difficult to get planning permission to proceed.At this time there is no approved date for revenue service, and unfortunately the final costs for this railway are not fixed.

The Ankara Metro and Light Rail Systems

In 1992,Ankara, the Capital of Turkey, entered into an ambitious programme of transit infrastructure development by deciding to build both an MRT and an LRT virtually at the same time.

The MRT is a fully automated heavy rail Metro system operating from the City centre at Kizilay along a 14.6km north westerly alignment to the new suburban area of Batikent. It can effectively operate a two minute headway with six-car trains capable of carrying 2,000 passengers, giving the system a capacity of 60,000 passengers per hour per direction. Construction started on the September 1 1993 and the system began revenue operations in October 1997. The total cost was US$600million for the system which was built under a Turnkey Contract awarded to Bombardier/SNC Lavalin. The project was supervised by Louis Berger together with their local partner. The system presently operates a three minute headway in the rush hour and carries some 150,000 passengers per day.With an end to end journey time of 24 minutes stopping at 12 stations, the average speed to the City Centre is 36kph.

The LRT System, known as Ankaray operates across the City on an east west axis to the Central Bus Station at ASTI, connecting with the Metro at Kizilay. The 8.7km line was awarded to a Siemens led consortium in 1992 and the complete system was in public operation by August 1996, at a total cost of approximately US$300million. The Light Rail vehicles were supplied by Breda and made up as three sets of two-car trains that complete the 11 station journey in 21 minutes at an average speed of 25kph. Passenger loadings exceed 110,000 per day with trains running on a three minute headway.

The Izmir Metro

Since the 1920s, Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, has had a comprehensive suburban rail network, tramway and ferry service. By the early 1990s, however, these were all suffering from lack of investment, as the priority had been for major road developments throughout the City. In 1992, various schemes were put forward for a cross-town LRT and, the construction started in 1996, after a false start in 1994. This involved an underground alignment through the City with an extension on an old railway alignment to the suburb of Bornova. Opening in September 2000, the 11.5km, ten station line was an immediate success with over 100,000 passengers per day. The route from Ucyol down the escarpment to Konak and then out to Halkapinar provides a perfect travel artery for the City. Each of the stations is a local bus terminal, bringing passengers directly onto the System for their journey into the CBD. The System, which cost a total of US$650million, has its own protected right of way. It includes four tunnels, two viaducts and four at grade stations, together with a depot sufficiently large to cover the foreseeable extensions.A 2.5 minute interval, service can be operated, although generally five minutes is sufficient for the 16 minute end to end timing using 45 Swedish built vehicles assembled into 15 sets of 3-car trains. The System was built as a turnkey project by Adtranz (Bombardier)/Yapi Merkezy under the supervision of Louis Berger/Yuksel Proje, which was under the direction of the Municipality, who now own the operating company.

The Bursa Metro

Once the capital of the Ottoman Empire, situated at the end of the original Silk Road from the East, Bursa is now a thriving industrial town of some 1.4 million inhabitants. In 1996, Siemens was awarded a contract to construct a Light Rail System, using at grade street running.After more detailed studies were completed, however, it was considered more appropriate to provide a segregated right of way with underpasses to cross the principle road intersections. It was also agreed to construct the final 3.7km into the CBD in tunnels. This modification extended the build time by approximately 18 months. The System consists of two lines of approximately 8km each meeting in a Y to run the final 7km into the City centre and a three minute service is provided, splitting into six minutes on each leg of the Y. The 15 trains consist of three Siemens 2-car high floor tram units providing a capacity of 750 passengers. The project costing a total of US$650million was completed in September 2002 by the Siemens led consortium under the supervision of Kaiser (Earthtech)/Yapi Merkezy under the direction of the Municipality of Bursa. Ridership levels quickly rose to 150,000 per day after the bus lines had been relocated to serve the Metro stations. The journey time for the 15km 16 station line is 28 minutes giving an average speed of 32kph.

Eskisehir

Approximately 200km west of Ankara at a height of 750m above sea level, standing in the centre of the rich agricultural Anatolian plateau, the city of Eskisehir provides a good example of innovative infrastructure projects. The incoming Mayor in 2000 had ambitious plans for his city. He had already been responsible for the establishment of a new University, a Symphony Orchestra and a Performing Arts centre before coming to office as the Mayor. The vision was to provide a public transport system to connect all the new areas to the City Centre. The European Investment Bank supported the idea and together with previously completed Ridership surveys and an investment permit from the State Planning Organisation (SPO) enabled bids to be received for a City Tramway and for an award to be made to Bombardier Transportation/Yapi Merkezi all within the first year of the Mayor’s term of office.

On Time and on budget

The financial arrangements and the formal planning approvals were in place within a year and on 11th July 2002 the Notice to Proceed was given to the Contractor. It is understood that political pressure had insisted that trams should be operating by March 2004 and a total budget cost limited to US$121million. The challenge was a 20 month period for the design, build and construction of 14km of double track line, the supply of 18 sets of 30m long trams, the overhead power supply, traffic signalling for priority junction control and a depot, workshop and administration complex.

Under the supervision of Louis Berger/Yuksel Proje, trams were running before 28th March 2004. The project itself had grown by that time with the addition of a 2.36km single track line to the Performing Arts Centre, known as the Muttalip Line. Even with this extra work, the completed project was still able to be handed over to the Municipality on 30th August 2004. Following a period of trial running by the operator Estram, it was opened to the public on 24th December 2004, only four years from the first call for tenders. The total cost of the project, including the extension, was less than the original budget resulting in US$119.8million; a saving to the Municipality of US$1.2m. This saving was made despite a devaluation of the dollar by approx. 30 per cent during the contract period and a relative increase in all the goods and services supplied by Euro denominated currencies.

An unusual decision

From the beginning of the Project, the Mayor was directly involved in all of the major decisions for the light rail system. He was particularly concerned that the tramway would improve the environmental appearance of his City. Originally, the contractor had offered trams similar to those operating in Croydon (UK). However, on visiting that system he was of opinion that a much smaller vehicle was required for Eskisehir in order not to dominate the streets and surrounding buildings.

At Linz in Austria he found a gauge line less than one metre (920mm) with the latest Bombardier Flexity Outlook C range of vehicles just entering service. It was considered ‘perfect for Eskisehir’, the track gauge was fixed at 1000mm and the cars are 2300mm wide.Although controversial, it has turned out to be a wise decision, as these fine trams fit perfectly into the Cityscape.

A perfect solution

The Eskisehir Tramway is a perfect text book solution to the transportation requirement. It effectively enables the City population to leave their cars, even bicycles, as the three routes connect all the major centres – the Bus Station, the two very large University complexes, the two large Hospitals, the railway station and the performing Arts Centre – with the city centre, the municipality buildings and the central pedestrian shopping precinct.

The trams run on five minute headways with journey times to the city centre taking approximately 12 minutes using their segregated tracks in the out-skirts and reducing to the slower mixed traffic running, especially in the pedestrian areas around the CBD. Buses feed the terminal stations from the surrounding areas, which has been a major factor in reducing congestion in the narrower city streets. On average, after less than a year in service, 125,000 passengers a day are using the system.

Konya

Another innovative city to adopt Light Rail Transport on a low budget was Konya. It has a population of approximately 600,000, situated in the centre of the country in what is described as the corn basket of Turkey. The Municipality decided in 1990 that their needs could be satisfied by refurbishing an old tramway and fitting it with former Duweg cars previously used in Cologne. The system, which is 18km long, was built and opened in 1992. It operates much like a traditional European City street running tramway with little sophistication. It tends to suffer from the results of traffic congestion and is not as well patronised at this time as the more purpose built lines of other cities. The 15 trams operate a planned five minute service with a journey time of about 40 minutes along the route. It is estimated some 30,000 passenger rides are made each day.

Future projects

Feasibility of LRT systems have been carried out in the following locations:

• Adana – South East Turkey – Population 2m
• Antalya – South – Population 400,000
• Isparta – South West Turkey – Population less than 200,000
• Kayseri – South East of Ankara – Population 550,000
• Samson – South Coast of Black See – Population 400,000

Summary

During the past ten years the Turkish State Planning Organisation has approved the construction of seven Light Rail Transit Systems at a total cost of approximately US$3.5 billion. Each of these Systems was constructed on a Turnkey Contract basis by a major international company, together with a local civil partner, under the direct supervision of an independent international engineering consultancy company together with their local partners. The administrators and owners of each project is the concerned Municipality, acting generally under the guidance and with the approval of the Mayor’s office. Financing was in all cases a mixture of Commercial Supplier credit, coupled to loans from, in particular, the European Investment Bank. Undoubtedly in Turkey this formula for getting things done has worked.With the exception of Adana, each of the projects were completed within a reasonable time of the originally anticipated date at a cost that was acceptable to the owners and financiers.

These six systems (the 7th is Adana) totalling 100km of inner city railways are all in operation carrying in total in excess of 700,000 passengers daily or 200 million per year. Each of these railways is reportedly operating with a surplus of on average 20 per cent of revenue above operating costs.

In Turkey transport fares are still relatively low at an average of 50c a trip. However, even at this level, the rate of return on the capital employed is still in the region of 7 per cent. The return to the travelling public and to the environment in general, perhaps measured as a saving of say 100,000 mini buses on the cities roads and journey times reduced particularly in Istanbul and Ankara from 45 minutes to 15 minutes, is a statement that should convince the electorate to keep voting for the Mayors, who are pushing for the LRT systems.With innovative design and tight control of construction costs and time by the Supervising Engineers these systems can be seen as real value for money projects.