President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday reinaugurated one of Türkiye's oldest rail systems, alongside a pedestrian-focused environmental project, hailing the government's infrastructure drive as it bids to win back control of the nation's biggest city.
The modernized 8.3-kilometer (5.16-mile) Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme railway comprises eight stops and features artistic structures along the route in one of Istanbul's historical regions. A one-way journey will last approximately 20 minutes.
Erdoğan traveled to the opening ceremony behind the wheel of the first suburban train that ran from the Sirkeci neighborhood in the Eminönü quarter of the historic Fatih district to the Kazlıçeşme neighborhood of the Zeytinburnu district.
"The Kazlıçeşme-Sirkeci is one of our country's oldest rail systems. The line, which entered service 153 years ago, has made significant contributions to the growth of Bakırköy and Yeşilköy," Erdoğan said.
The line was closed in 2013 as part of the construction of the Marmaray, a subway link that connects Istanbul's Asian and European sides via an underwater tunnel.
"Considering the needs of Istanbul, we decided to modernize this 8.3-kilometer line, which has been idle. We aimed to make the necessary improvements and changes to the line and to benefit Istanbul."
Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the line had served as one of the backbones of Istanbul's transportation for more than 141 years.
Uraloğlu stated that they revitalized the line from scratch, reintroducing it to Istanbul with an environmentally friendly project focused on both railway and pedestrian aspects.
Erdoğan also launched the Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme Pedestrian-Oriented New Generation Transportation Project, featuring 7.3 kilometers of pedestrian and bicycle paths, along with 6,000 square meters of covered social-cultural space.
It consists of squares and recreational areas totaling 122,550 square meters, and green areas totaling 74,000 square meters, including 22 road and pedestrian underpasses.
"In addition to a rail system line, we are introducing an extremely modern transportation project that encompasses socio-cultural, tourism, sports, leisure, biking and other opportunities to our city," Erdoğan said.
"We estimate that the Sirkeci-Kazlıçeşme rail system will contribute a total of 785 million euros ($851.7 million) to the economy over the next 30 years."
The new line brings the total length of the rail system networks in Istanbul to 340 kilometers.
Erdoğan used the event to criticize the current municipality of Istanbul run by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as Türkiye heads to mayoral elections in late March.
His ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has named Murat Kurum, former environment minister, as its candidate in the country's most populated city.
Kurum will compete against Ekrem Imamoğlu, the incumbent mayor from the CHP whose election as mayor in 2019 ended 25 years of rule in Istanbul by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
"Five years went to waste. Why wasn't anything done? They can't do it. They won't do it. They don't care about such matters," Erdoğan said.
"Unfortunately, Istanbul has once again become filled with garbage, potholes, and mud. There is no investment, and we have seen the condition of the train line while coming here from Sirkeci. We say, let's rebuild Istanbul."
Kurum, 47, was the environment and urbanization minister from July 2018 until last June, leaving the post after the elections. He was then elected as a member of parliament for Istanbul, Türkiye's commercial hub and a city of 16 million, or some 20% of the population.