Modern Tram

Public road transport in Istanbul dates back to August 30, 1869, when a contract to build a tram system in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, was signed. With this agreement, Konstantin Krepano Efendi’s "Société des Tramways de Constantinople" obtained the concession to operate public transportation for forty years. The inauguration of four lines of horse-driven trams was in 1871. In the first year, the horsecars transported 4.5 million people on the lines Azapkapi-Galata, Aksaray-Yedikule, Aksaray-Topkapi and Eminönü-Aksaray. More lines were added in the following years. 430 horses were used to draw the 45 carriages, including 15 summer-type and some double-deckers, on meter gauge track. In 1912, the horse-drawn tram had to cease to operate for one year because the Ministry of Defense sent all the horses to the front during the Balkan War. The tram network was electrified by overhead contact wire on February 2, 1914. The tram began to run on the Anatolian part of Istanbul on June 8, 1928 between Üsküdar and Kisikli. By the 1950s, the length of the tram lines reached 130 km. The trams were on service on the European part until August 12, 1961 and on the Anatolian part until November 14, 1966.

The same time as the horsecar started to run, construction of the Tünel, a short funicular between Pera and Galata, began on July 30, 1871. The funicular opened to service on December 5, 1874, the second oldest subway in the world after the London underground. In the beginning, only goods and animals were transported. On January 17, 1875, after completing the test runs, the funicular was released to public transport, which is still in service.

Bus transport in Istanbul started in 1926 with four buses of make Renault-Scania between Beyazit and Karaköy. The fleet grew up from 9 buses in 1942 to 16 in 1955 and to 525 busses in 1960 and, then became the backbone of the public transport in ever enlarging city.

Several British and French companies operated all public transport in Istanbul until June 16, 1939, the date of nationalization. The newly established company IETT (Istanbul Electric Tram and Funicular Company) took over from then on the task of public transport in Istanbul.

On May 27, 1961 trolleybuses were put in service first between Topkapi and Eminönü following the disappearance of trams. However, they were taken out of the service some time later because they also hindered the growing traffic in the narrow streets of the old city.

Suburban railway was built on the European part from Sirkeci to Hadımköy in 1872, which was followed in 1873 on the Anatolian part from Haydarpaşa Terminal to Izmit.

Maritime public transport with ferryboats is one of the oldest in Istanbul, a city with two parts separated by Bosphorus strait and surrounded by sea. In 1837, British and Russian owned boats started transport on Bosphorus. Istanbul Maritime Company was established in 1851 by a decree of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid. The ferry service began in 1853 with six paddle steamers built in Robert White shipyard in England. The service extended in 1859 to places around Golden Horn. After 1903 screw driven steamboats were put in service. While until 1929 boats were imported, the ferries were built later on in the shipyards in Golden Horn. The fleet grew up once to 40 boats.

In 1867, the same company started vehicle transport across Bosphorus between Kabataş and Üsküdar with two ferryboats purchased from England, being as the first scheduled ferry lines in the world.

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