The first of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which will dig the tunnels in the construction of the Üçyol - Buca Metro line, which is the largest rail system investment in the history of the city, which will be built by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality with its own resources, has reached the Buca Koop station. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Mayor Tunç Soyer who made examinations in the region said “We are very proud and happy. We continue to work with all our strength in the dreary, chaotic atmosphere of Turkey. The biggest project in the history of İzmir continues to progress just in time and as predicted.
The works on the Ucyol - Buca Metro line, which will be the largest rail system investment in İzmir history, proceed at full speed. The first Tunneling Machine (TBM) to dig a tunnel has arrived in the Üçyol - Buca Metro, which will be constructed by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality with its own resources and will serve with 11 stations of 13.5 kilometers between Üçyol - Dokuz Eylül University Tınaztepe Campus - Çamlıkule. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Assistant - Secretary General Özgür Ozan Yılmaz, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Head of Rail Systems Department Mehmet Ergenekon, and Buca Koop reconnoitred.
Soyer : “The three moles will work “
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer stated that his social media post "The mole was seen in Buca" made a sensation. “It is 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 at the moment. The Excavations continue for the TBM to descend. 325 pales will be driven. 110 pales have now been driven. On the other hand, works have commenced at other stations. Buca Metro is the largest and most expensive project in the history of İzmir. There is only 450 million Euros in tunnel digging, construction costs. The cost of purchasing the train is around 305 million Euros. It has a giant budget. The good news is that the money is now ready. We have no hesitation about the completion and timely completion of the construction. The payment will be made.
“The project will cover its own cost”
Mayor Soyer, who declared the target date for the opening of the line, said,“We want to complete this line in the first months of 2026. This 13.5-kilometer line comprises 11 stations. We aim to carry 400 thousand passengers per day. It will be one of the most efficient projects in the world. This 400 thousand passengers means approximately 45 million Euros of operation income per year. The repayment of the financing we provided while generating operation income will begin, after it is completed and commissioned in 2026. It will be a self-sufficient, low-cost project without any money coming out of anyone's pocket, without the pocket money of the citizens, without affecting the Metropolitan Municipality in any way.”
“The traffic density of Buca will diminish”
Mayor Soyer, who said that the metro will ease Buca traffic to a great extent, explained “Buca is one of the most crowded and congested districts of İzmir. Here, removing the wheeled public transportation vehicles from the routes and transferring the passengers to the metro will relieve the traffic on the road. It will also provide our citizens with much cheaper and more comfortable travel occasions. We are very proud and happy. We continue to work with all our strength in the dreary, chaotic atmosphere of Turkey. The biggest project in the history of İzmir continues to progress just in time and as predicted. We foresee that TBM will drive a tunnel approximately 20 meters per day. We will gain speed even more, when 3 TBMs become a part of an activity. We are excited, we are proud. We are very happy and hopeful for İzmir. We will continue to weave İzmir with iron nets.”
Yılmaz: “A significant investment in terms of transportation”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Assistant - Secretary General Özgür Ozan Yılmaz, said “It is a significant investment in difficult times. In the coming years, we will realize important investments in terms of transportation in Buca. In 2025, Buca Metro will also be built after our Buca Tunnel.”
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Head of Rail Systems Department, Mehmet Ergenekon, said “Our target is to carry out the works in Buca without causing much trouble to our citizens. We enter the building sites by splitting hairs. Our metro line works are progressing very fast. We esteem that we will implement this investment on time, even before the date of completion.”
The Works continue on Buca Metro
The 3 TBMs will work on the line. Buca Metro will include Üçyol, Zafertepe, Bozyaka, General Asım Gündüz, Sirinyer, Buca Municipality, Kasaplar Square, Hasanaga Garden, Dokuz Eylul University, Buca Koop and Çamlıkule stations. Also, it will be integrated with the existing metro line running between F.Altay-Bornova at Ucyol Station, and at Sirinyer with the IZBAN line. The train sets on this line will provide driverless service. The vehicle purchase will be made with a value of approximately 305 million euros. There will be a parking place for 240 vehicles at Dokuz Eylul University station. When the line enters service, the daily number of passengers is expected to reach 400 thousand. The excavation support works at the General Asım Gündüz station, where the TBM will enter, have come to an end. The excavation of station works have started. The Excavation support works are about to be completed at Buca Koop station, where the other TBM will enter. It is planned to commence tunnel excavation from this station in October. The closure of construction site and mobilization of works have also commenced at Dokuz Eylul University Station.