NEW METRO LINE BOOSTS ISTANBUL 2020’S INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS
Istanbul; 20 June 2013: Istanbul 2020 continued to deliver on its promise to significantly boost Istanbul’s transport infrastructure with the opening of a new metro line linking the proposed Olympic Park to the heart of the city.
On Friday, a 16.5 kilometre-long line was launched which will lower the travelling time between the Olympic Park area and the main bus terminal in Esenler, to just eight minutes. The line can carry 70,000 people per hour and is an important milestone in Istanbul 2020’s promise to keep the average Olympic Village-to-venue time for athletes to just 16 minutes.
Hasan Arat, Chairman of the Istanbul 2020 Bid Committee, said:
"The construction of this metro line is an historic undertaking and underlines how serious Istanbul 2020 is about delivering an exceptional Games platform for everyone; athletes, fans and the Olympic family.
"Istanbul is the fifth most visited destination on the planet so we have a robust transport network in place, but a thriving city needs constant improvement and Istanbul 2020 recognises that. Developments such as this will also benefit Istanbul’s population for years to come as it is part of our Integrated Urban Transport Master Plan that will deliver an investment of $9.8 billion in transport infrastructure between 2009 and 2023."
Istanbul’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games started in 1992 with the enactment of Turkey’s Olympic Law and the 21 years since have encompassed five bids. Istanbul’s last bid was in 2005 and the face of the city’s transport infrastructure has improved dramatically in the last eight years.
So too has its experience in event-hosting. Over the past seven years Turkey has hosted more than 40 major events. Two major sports events are taking place in Turkey through June and July: the 2013 Mediterranean Games in Mersin and the FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013.
For further information please contact:
Istanbul 2020 Media Team: mediainfo@istanbul2020.com.tr
Nick Dawes: nick@jtassocs.com | +447557435851
As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.
These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.
20 Years at #1:
Últimas Noticias
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
