Tunnel that connects Europe, Asia opens

[Hum]

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday formally opened the world's first sea tunnel connecting two continents, fulfilling a sultan's dream 150 years ago in a three-billion-euro mega project driven by the Islamic-rooted government.

The 13.6-kilometre (8.5 mile) long tunnel linking Istanbul's European and Asian sides includes an immersed tube tunnel which officials say is the world's deepest at 60 metres (nearly 200 feet) below the seabed.

The inauguration of the ambitious scheme -- dubbed "the project of the century" by the government -- coincides with the 90th anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey.

"Turkey will celebrate two feasts together," Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said earlier this month.

"We will mark the 90th anniversary of the republic on October 29 and also realise a one-and-a-half century dream of a major rail tunnel project in Istanbul."

 

The tunnel in the country's main gateway city is part of a larger "Marmaray" project that also includes an upgrade of existing suburban train lines to create a 76-kilometre (47-mile) line that links the two continents.

The idea was first floated by Ottoman sultan Abdoul Medjid in 1860 but technical equipment at the time was not good enough to take the project further.

However the desire to build an undersea tunnel grew stronger in the 1980s and studies also showed that such a tunnel would be feasible and cost-effective.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former mayor of Istanbul, revived the plan in 2004 as one of his mega projects for the bustling city of 16 million people -- which also include a third airport, a third bridge across the Bosphorus and a canal parallel to the international waterway to ease traffic.

His ambitions were one cause for the massive anti-government protests that swept the country in June, with local residents complaining the premier's urban development plans were forcing people from their homes and destroying green space.

Erdogan's critics accuse him of bringing forward the inauguration of the Bosphorus tunnel in time for municipal elections in March 2014.

The project will not be fully operational immediately and construction is expected to continue for several more years.

 

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[Arachno 1D]

Time to start training your Customs people Turkey

[Hum]

So you can drive from England to China .... ? :huh: Or is it by train only ?

[FlintyV]

So you can drive from England to China .... ? :huh: Or is it by train only ?

 

It's 'just' a 8.5 mile tunnel on the Bosphorus strait.

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/29/istanbul-underwater-bosphorus-rail-tunnel-european-asian-earthquake

 

Quoting a report by R?za Beh?et, an engineer who has worked on the project for eight years, the Istanbul Chamber of Architects warned the tunnel lacked an electronic warning system and that the flexibly linked parts of the immersed section would be prone to rupture and water leakage in the case of earthquakes. - Somewhat worrying  :huh:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaray

[Arachno 1D]

 

The BBC's James Reynolds in Istanbul says the Turkish government hopes the new route under the Bosphorus will eventually develop into an important trading route.

In theory it brings closer the day when it will be possible to travel from London to Beijing via Istanbul by train.

The Marmaray project will upgrade existing suburban train lines to create a direct link joining the southern part of the city across the Bosphorus Strait.

Istanbul is one of the world's biggest cities, with about 16 million people. Some two million, according to the AFP news agency, cross the Bosphorus every day via just two bridges, causing severe traffic congestion.

 

Source

 

I thought the place sounded familiar

 

During World War I, the Bosphorus was the key to the Black Sea and Russia. The Sultan held the key. The Entente powers wanted it. What they failed to get in battle they got by treaty, and British gunboats anchored outside Dolmabah?e Palace.

Source

[Growled Member]

Very nice. A great accomplishment for Turkey.