Turkey Opens Rail Tunnel Under Bosphorus Strait

World | October 29, 2013, Tuesday // 11:09
Bulgaria: Turkey Opens Rail Tunnel Under Bosphorus Strait Photo by e360.yale.edu

Turkish PM Erdogan is scheduled to unveil a rail link under Bosphorus to connect Asian and European sides of Istanbul on Tuesday.

"Marmaray", a railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus connecting the Asian with the European shores of Istanbul, is due to open on October 29th.

The 13.6-kilometre (8.5 miles) tunnel includes an immersed tube tunnel which government officials say is the world's deepest at 60 metres (nearly 200 feet) below the seabed.

Work began in 2004 but archaeological excavations delayed the construction.

Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) invested USD 1 B of the USD 4 B total cost of the 0.8 mile (1.4 km) tunnel, designed to withstand earthquakes, informs BBC.

The purpose of the tunnel is to ease traffic congestion between the Asian and European sides of Istanbul and to decrease the pollution.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be present at the official inauguration of the project.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

World » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: turkey, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Erdogan, shinzo abe, Marmaray, tunnel, rail, Bosphorus, Asian, European, Istanbul

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria