TURKEY: Mersin municipality has announced that construction of the 13·4 km Mezitli – 3 Ocak underground metro line will start on January 3 2022, the 100th anniversary of the French evacuation of the city, and is scheduled to take 48 months.
The TL3·379bn electrical and mechanical systems contract for the line was awarded in August to a consortium of US company Dillingham Construction International and Turkey’s Kıska Kom İnşaat. Speaking at the contract signing ceremony on October 4, Mayor Vahap Seçer said that the line is expected to initially carry up to 350 000 passengers/year, rising to 380 000 a year in 2030 and 500 000 a year by 2048.
He said the whole line would have twin tracks in a single bore tunnel, the first time this method has been used in Turkey, with 7 km of the route in bored tunnel and 6·4 km constructed using cut-and-cover.
Seçer added that the municipality plans to expand its urban rail system to a total of 34·4 km in two further stages.
One will involve the construction of an 8·4 km light rail ring linking the university, hospital and international trade fair venue. The following stage would be a 12·6 km metro line connecting the hospital to the new bus station.
Seçer gave no details about when tenders will be called.
