In a significant stride towards incorporating high-tech, locally designed products into Turkiye’s infrastructure, the country’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, inaugurated the first driverless domestic metro set. The ceremony was held in Ankara Sincan, marking the delivery for the Halkalı-Istanbul Airport-Gayrettepe metro lines, a notable step towards achieving the Turkish Century goals set for 2023.
Emphasizing Local Production
Uraloğlu highlighted the successive launch of ‘National Electric Train Sets’ in April 2023 followed by a locally produced driverless metro vehicle featuring 70% local content in September. He stressed the utilization of local and national metro signaling systems, a first in the country’s history. Initial imports of 25 out of 10 metro sets were a necessity due to urgent demands, but these are planned to be upgraded to driverless systems. The remaining 14 sets, to be used in the Istanbul Airport metro,are slated for delivery in 2024.
Operational and Upcoming Sections
The Istanbul Airport-Kağıthane section of the metro line is already functional, with the Kağıthane-Gayrettepe section anticipated to open in early 2024. The Istanbul Airport-Kayaşehir section is projected to be operational before March 2024. These developments underscore Turkiye’s commitment to enhancing its transport infrastructure and decreasing commuting time to Istanbul Airport to just 30 minutes.
Features and Benefits
The first vehicle, produced with 60% local content, was completed in a record time of nine months. Key components such as the engine, vehicle body, and HVAC system were locally sourced. Capable of transporting 1,142 passengers at speeds up to 120 km/h, these driverless vehicles promise to alleviate traffic congestion and contribute to environmental conservation. Safety features include automatic vehicle and door movement, real-time monitoring, and communication systems. Accommodations for disabled passengers and those with hearing impairments have also been integrated.
Future Projects and Collaboration
With an assessed requirement of 22.6 billion euros to meet the rail system vehicle needs until 2035, Turkiye is actively working on several projects. The ‘New Sakarya’ National Electric Train Set Project aims to expand to 56 train sets by 2030. The prototype manufacturing for the National Electric High-Speed Train Set Project, boasting a speed of 225 km/h, is slated for completion in 2024, while the production of the National Suburban Train Set Prototype vehicle is ongoing. Collaboration with TÜBİTAK-RUTE under the TÜRASAŞ brand is aiding the progress in traction motor, converter, and software development. Metro vehicles will also use first-need batteries produced by ASPİLSAN with a 51% local production rate.
Source: bnnbreaking