TURKEY: The first cars to operate the 17 km light rail line in Kayseri are set to arrive next month.
The line will serve an east-west corridor across the city from an industrial park to Mimar Sinan with 31 stops. Trams will run at 4 min headways and total end-to-end journey time will be 42 min, according to Kayseray Signalling & Communications Manager Feyzullah Gündogdu.
Construction of the route began in 2006 and opening is scheduled for next year. Already, two extensions are proposed - one at the eastern end of the line to serve new residential developments, and a branch to the south to link to the city's university.
An initial batch of 22 cars is being supplied by AnsaldoBreda, but Gündogdu said that an option was around 20 more was to be signed 'soon'. The main depot facility has capacity for 50 LRVs. The project is being financed by a combination of international loans and central government funding.
- Light rail lines are also being planned in two other Turkish cities. The bidding process is underway for construction of a 9 km line in Gaziantep, forecast to open after 2009, whilst a 17 km line is being planned in Samsun for opening in 2011.
