The first of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which will dig the tunnels in the construction of the Üçyol - Buca Metro line, the largest rail system investment in the history of the city, to be built by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with its own resources, arrived at the Buca Koop station. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, who examined the area Tunç Soyer“We are very proud and happy. We continue to work hard in Turkey's gloomy chaotic environment. The biggest project in the history of Izmir continues to run on its full schedule, as envisaged.”
Works on the Üçyol - Buca Metro line, which will be the largest rail system investment in Izmir history, continue at full speed. The first Tunneling Machine (TBM) to dig the tunnels in the Üçyol - Buca Metro, which will be built by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with its own resources, and will serve with 13,5 stations of 11 kilometers between Üçyol - Dokuz Eylül University Tınaztepe Campus - Çamlıkule, has arrived. Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Özgür Ozan Yılmaz and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Rail Systems Department Head Mehmet Ergenekon made investigations in Buca Koop.
Soyer: “3 moles will work”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, who stated that his post on social media "The mole was seen in Buca" aroused a lot of curiosity. Tunç Soyer“A giant mole. This is the giant machine we use to tunnel the subway lines. 3 TBMs will be used in the construction of Buca Metro. One of them is here right now. On the other hand, piling works are carried out for the TBM to go down. 325 piles will be driven. 110 piles have now been driven. Meanwhile, work has begun at other stations. Buca Metro is the largest scaled and expensive project in the history of Izmir. There is a tunnel digging and construction cost of only 450 million Euros. The cost of purchasing trains is around 305 million Euros. It has a huge budget. The good news is that the money is in our pocket right now. We have no hesitation about the completion and timely completion of the construction. The payment will be made in full,” he said.
“It will pay for itself”
Explaining the target date for the opening of the line, President Soyer said, “We want to finish this line in the first months of 2026. This 13,5-kilometer line consists of 11 stations. We aim to carry 400 thousand passengers per day. It will be one of the most productive projects in the world. This 400 thousand passengers means an operating income of around 45 million Euros per year. When we complete and put it into operation in 2026, the repayment of the financing we have provided while generating operating income will begin. It will be a project that returns on its own without any money coming out of anyone's pocket, without any of our citizens' pockets, without affecting the Metropolitan Municipality in any way, and which pays for its cost," he said.
“Buca traffic will be relieved”
Stating that the metro will relieve Buca traffic to a great extent, Mayor Soyer said, “Buca is one of the most crowded and congested districts in İzmir. Here, removing the rubber-tyred public transportation vehicles from the routes and transferring the passengers completely to the metro will both alleviate the traffic on the ground and provide our citizens with a much cheaper and more comfortable travel opportunity. We are very proud and happy. We continue to work hard in Turkey's gloomy chaotic environment. The biggest project in the history of Izmir continues to run on its full schedule, as predicted. We foresee that the TBM will tunnel approximately 20 meters per day, and we will accelerate further when 3 TBMs are activated. We are more serious, we are excited, we are proud. We are very happy and hopeful for Izmir. We will continue to weave İzmir with iron nets.”
Yılmaz: “A serious investment in terms of transportation”
Özgür Ozan Yılmaz, Deputy Secretary General of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said, “It is a serious investment in difficult times. In the coming years, we will put into practice our serious investments in terms of transportation in Buca. After Buca Tunnel in 2025, Buca Metro” said.
Mehmet Ergenekon, Head of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Rail Systems Department, said, “Our goal is to carry out the works without causing too much trouble for our citizens in Buca. We enter the construction sites by fine sifting and weaving. Our metro line works are progressing very quickly. We think that we will complete this investment on time, even before the work completion date.”
Work continues on Buca Metro
3 TBMs will work on the line. Buca Metro, where Üçyol, Zafertepe, Bozyaka, General Asım Gündüz, Şirinyer, Buca Municipality, Kasaplar Square, Hasanağa Garden, Dozuk Eylül University, Buca Koop and Çamlıkule stations will be located, is at Üçyol Station with the existing metro line running between F.Altay-Bornova, It will be integrated with İZBAN line in Şirinyer. Train sets on this line will serve without drivers. Vehicle purchases worth approximately 305 million Euros will be made. There will be a parking lot for 240 vehicles at the Dokuz Eylül University station. When the line is put into operation, the number of daily passengers is expected to reach 400 thousand. At the General Asım Gündüz station, where the TBM will enter, the excavation support works have come to an end and the station excavation works have started. Excavation support works are about to be completed at the Buca Koop station, where the other TBM will enter. Tunnel excavation is planned to start from this station in October. Construction site closure and mobilization works have also started at Dokuz Eylül University Station.