Istanbul's new rail tunnel links Europe and Asia

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By DESMOND BUTLER

ISTANBUL (AP) - Turkey has opened an underwater railway tunnel linking Europe and Asia, and the two sides of Istanbul, realizing a plan initially proposed by an Ottoman sultan about 150 years ago.

The Marmaray tunnel runs under the Bosporus, the strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and divides Istanbul between Asia and Europe. The tunnel is 13.6 kilometers (8.5 miles) long, including an underwater stretch of 1.4 kilometers (4,593 feet).

It is among a number of large infrastructure projects under the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that have helped boost the economy but also have provoked a backlash of public protest.

"I wish from God that the Marmaray that we are inaugurating will be a benefit to our Istanbul, to our country, to all of humanity," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20131030/DA9O4UQ01.html

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Two Japanese technicians walk inside a train for the inauguration of the tunnel called Marmaray in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013. Turkey is for the first time connecting its European and Asian sides with a railway tunnel set to open Tuesday, completing a plan initially proposed by an Ottoman sultan about 150 years ago. The Marmaray, is among a number of large infrastructure projects under the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that have helped boost the economy but also have provoked a backlash of public protest.(AP Photo)

[gopiscrap]

1. that's pretty cool

I was in Istanbul once, what a cool city!

[LibertyLover]

2. During the building of the tunnel

a number of delays occurred because of the archaeological finds, including the Byzantine harbor of Eleutherios (later the Harbor of Theodosius) and 6 skulls in a bag dating to 6,000 BCE, not to mention parts of the old city wall of Constantine, remains of ships, amphorae and artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. I love Istanbul, it's a great city.

[joanbarnes]

3. Nice to see progress in other nations.....

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. Way to go. n/t

[Bosonic]

5. Blackout in Turkey sea tunnel just day after opening

Istanbul (AFP) - Rail passengers using Turkey's new tunnel under the Bosphorus had to walk part of their journey Wednesday when an electricity failure briefly halted services, just a day after its grand opening.

The 13.6-kilometre (8.5 mile) undersea tunnel in Istanbul -- the world's first linking two continents -- was inaugurated with great fanfare on Tuesday as the government's "project of the century".

But a power cut forced passengers to leave the train and walk on the tracks, a transport ministry official said, before the problem was fixed and services resumed within a few minutes.

"The system failed after too many people pushed on the emergency stop buttons yesterday. This is what generated a power cut," said the official who did not wish to be named, adding that first-time passengers had apparently pressed the buttons "out of curiosity".

http://news.yahoo.com/blackout-turkey-sea-tunnel-just-day-opening-163005568.html;_ylt=A2KLOzHDOHFSjhIAyfzQtDMD