Turkish ministry to spend 3.1 billion on Ankara subway
Posted by meb at April 21st, 2011
Ankara’s subway system, which has yet to be completed despite 10 years of construction and 814 million Turkish Liras of investment, will receive another 3.1 billion liras from the Transportation Ministry to finish the line, authorities have said.
Subway work between Keçiören and the train station, Kızılay and Ümitköy, as well as between Sincan and Batıkent, will be launched simultaneously and completed within two years, according to the ministry’s plans, Transportation Minister Habib Soluk told journalists Tuesday.
The 44.4-kilometer-long Ankara metro line will cost the ministry 3.17 billion liras, Soluk said.
Although the ministry could take over the metropolitan municipalities’ subway projects as part of a recent legal arrangement, Soluk said the new regulation did not mean his office would take over all projects.
Ankara and Istanbul metropolitan municipalities initially applied to the ministry for a change, Soluk said, adding that procedures to take over the projects were at the final stage.
The project cost for the Istanbul metro was not yet clear, the transportation minister said.
Along with Ankara and Istanbul municipalities, Adana and İzmir metropolitan municipalities have also applied to hand over their projects to the ministry, Soluk said, but added that they were still considering their applications.
Metro constantly under construction
Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek has repeatedly said the capital city’s subway project would be completed as soon as possible since it first began in 2001, but little progress has been made in recent years.
Contrary to statements, no previously-announced subway line has been completed and the municipality’s website indicates no information either on the estimated date of completion of the cost of the total expenditures so far.
Ahmet Çetin, from the municipality, said in 2009 that they had so far spent 814 million liras for the subway project.
Deadline for third bridge bid in August
Touching on the plans for the construction of a third bridge over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Soluk said the project would also include a railway.
“But we will see whether the railway will share the same platform with the highway once we receive the proposals on Aug. 23,” Soluk said.
Overall, 12 companies, including six local ones and six international ones, have purchased tender specifications for third bridge. The foreign companies are from Russia, France, Italy, Spain and Austria, the official said.
source: hurriyet
Related posts: