science · 29 October 2013 · 11 years ago
In 2013, the Marmaray rail tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait was opened for public travel and over 300,000 people travelled through it, on the 90th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. It is the world's first sea tunnel connecting two continents and the deepest submerged tunnel. A 1.4-km stretch of the tunnel lies 50-m below the seabed. The 13-km project linking Kazliçesme, Turkey in Europe and Ayrılıkçesme in Asia is part of what will be a total 77-km cross-city surburban service above and below ground when construction is finished (set for Jun 2015). A sultan conceived the tunnel idea in 1860, but it was not until 2004 that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan initiated the ambitious project to relieve traffic congestion on the two existing road bridges. He rode a ceremonial test run on 4 Aug 2013.
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