THE SUBURBAN TRAIN OF ISTANBUL

THE SUBURBAN TRAIN OF ISTANBUL İdil Akkuzu INTRODUCTION Towards the decline of the Ottomans new transport systems were introduced to the city in means of modernity. At the beginning of 19th century water transportation, trams, subways and trains were started to be in the life of the Ottomans. The policies of Ottoman sultans, Abdulmecit continuing with Abdulaziz and II.Abdulhamid, lead to the first agreements of building the suburban train in Turkey. Since the Ottomans were facing financial problems at the time, transport systems were built by concessions given to Europeans. This paper gives an overview of the history and the building process of the suburban train and focuses on a few specific stops which are Sirkeci on the European side; Haydarpasa, Suadiye and Bostanci on the Asian side. Also, the effect of the train to its surroundings and on public life are discussed. BUILDING PROCESS The railway building process in Istanbul started on the European side when the Ottomans were under the rule of Sultan Abdulaziz. After the concession given to Baron Hirch, the line between Yedikule and Kucukcekmece was completed in 1871 (Demirel, 2011: 41). Since Yedikule was far away from the city center, the public requested a station in Sirkeci (Demirel, 2011: 44). After a short time in 1875, local trains started to operate on the urban and suburban routes between Sirkeci and Kucukcekmece (Çelik: 100). On the other hand, the building phase on the Asian side also started between Haydarpasa and İzmit in 1871 (Demirel, 2011: 240). The implemented and later extended train lines according to dates can be seen in Map 1. Map 1: İstanbul Banliyö Treni Açılış Yıllarına Göre Haritası The first years of the Republic, Istanbul faced a decrease in population due to government policies. Only Sirkeci-Ispartakule and Haydarpasa-Fenerbahce lines were running. With the population rising after 1930s, the settlements started at the suburban areas of Istanbul which lead to the extension of train lines along the Marmara shores (İstanbul Ulaşımında 50 Yıl, 1974: 103). CONCESSIONS The Ottomans were facing financial difficulties so most of the building process of new transportation systems were aided. Furthermore, the train was able to be built with concessions given to the Europeans (Çelik: 82). Until the Republic was formed, suburban train was built 1196km with agreements and 2780km with concessions (İstanbul Ulaşımında 50 Yıl, 1974: 102). One example is the Rumelia Railroad Company’s concession which was given to Baron Hirch in 1869. Second example, the concession given to Germans to build between Haydarpasa and Ankara in 1888 (Demirel, 2011: 41,242). These concessions later caused major economic problems to the Ottomans (Burdett, 2009:14). Nationalization began after the Republic was formed with Haydarpasa Station in 1928 and Sirkeci Station in 1937 (İstanbul Ulaşımında 50 Yıl, 1974: 102). PROPOSALS Railways were at the focus of planners for their improvements and many proposals were given. One suggestion by Agache was separating the passenger station from cargo stations in Sirkeci and the passenger station to be moved to Yenikapı (Mimarlık 7: 1972:70). Since Yenikapı was found too far away from the city center, this idea was not implemented. The railroad stations’ siting was another problem. The common proposal -supported by Elgötz- was that the railroads would connect industrial zones to the city centers. This was mainly accomplished on both sides of the city. For crossing the Bosphorus, boats were the only option since building a bridge would have been costly at that time. (Mimarlık 7: 1972:70). This is the reason for the railway stations that are built near the sea. EFFECT ON SURROUNDINGS & DAILY LIFE According to Kösebay (2006,14), the suburban train integrated the inner parts of the region with the city and through time the summer homes turned into permanent houses of the residents. This created a new lifestyle of people using the train in their daily life for going to and coming back from work. Opposite view from Burdett (2009, 14-16) in Istanbul City Intersections argues that the suburban train was focused on connecting agricultural areas to the ports -as mentioned on the above paragraph-, resulting in a bigger disconnection with the city center. Although a point is made by Burdett, from a bigger picture Kösebay’s outcome seems more accurate. While the train was being built, to ease the transportation of materials, docks were built along the shores (Demirel, 2011: 240). Also, workers accommodated at the nearby spots. This concluded in the development of the surrounding areas even before the train started running, in this case Yeldegirmeni -just behind Haydarpasa- (Kösebay, 2006: 15). SIRKECI Sirkeci station is the greeting point of newcomers from Europe, so the architecture of the building was a great deal. The trains were running from 1872, but the actual station building was built in 1980 (Demirel, 2011: 45). The architecture of the station has an orientalist style (Picture 1) that meets the expectation of tourists who has read and dreamed about the eastern lands. Architect Jasmund’s design of the station building inspired many more station buildings in asia later on (Demirel, 2011: 49). Although the train was a modern transport system, the cultural effects were clearly implemented such as a separate hall for women (Demirel, 2011: 47). Picture 1. Sirkeci Station Building on a Postcard, Ataturk Kitapligi Koleksiyonu. HAYDARPASA Haydarpaşa is known as the starting point of Anatolian train line (İstanbul Ulaşımında 50 Yıl, 1974: 102). Although the trains were running from 1873, the station was not built until 1909 by the German architects Helmuth Cuno and Otto Ritter (Demirel, 2011:245). As seen in Picture 2, the architecture of the station is neo-classical greeting the incomers of Asia with a western view (Çelik: 102). Haydarpasa is also important because of its harbor. After the railroad, many additional developments were made to the surroundings like electric power station, mosques, schools etc. (Kösebay, 2006: 57-67). Picture 2. Haydarpasa Train Station. SUADIYE Suadiye stop is a good example for understanding the importance of a railroad system. After the railroad, a mosque was built and parcellation was made as a grid plan as seen in Picture 3. Parcellation shows that this area was foreseen as improving. Also, there was a road directly connected to the beach of Suadiye from the station. At the beginning years of the Republic, beaches were a recreation area and one of the most used public spaces during summer (Turan: 52). One can guess that the train was used on daily trips to and from the beach (Kösebay, 2006: 84). Picture 3. Suadiye, Kadıköy Ciheti Pafta No:175, Ö:1/2000, İstanbul Harita Sirketi, (1928?), (İBBAK Harita Arsivi). BOSTANCI Bostanci has been an important point in terms of location throughout history. In the Ottoman era, it was the controlled entry point of the caravans to the city. As Kösebay states, the Anatolian Railroad was constructed parallel to the caravan route (2006, 17). Until the train there were only a few buildings on Bagdat Street; after as seen in Picture 4, kiosks inside wide gardens can be seen on both sides of the railroad. In the meantime, a mosque and a school was built -similarly seen in Haydarpasa- near the Bostancı Station (Kösebay, 2006: 85). Picture 4. Bostanci, 1912-13(İBBAK Harita Arsivi). CONCLUSION The building process of the suburban train caused many economic problems to the Ottomans but it was a huge innovation for the city. It effected the lives of inhabitants and in a way developed the suburban areas of Istanbul. After the arrival of the train stop, in most cases we notice a mosque being built nearby and some cases a school. Unfortunately, the suburban train of Istanbul has been uncared for in the past few decades. In most cases, instead of renewing the train, building a road seemed more convenient as can be seen in the Sirkeci-Florya highway (Mimarlık 7; 1972:74). Even today after many more roads opening, the renewal of the suburban train has just been started on the Anatolian side. REFERENCES Burdett, R. (2009). Istanbul: City of Intersections. Urban Age, pp14-16. Celik, Z. Transportation. pp99-102. Cumhuriyet Döneminde İstanbul Planlama Çalışmaları. (Temmuz 1972). Mimarlık, 7, pp.70-95. Demirel, F. (2011). Sultan 2.Abdulhamid’in Mirası: İstanbul’da Kamu Binaları. İstanbul Ticaret Odası, Kültürel ve Sanatsal Araştırmalar. İstanbul, pp.40-245. İstanbul Ulaşımında 50 Yıl. Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü Matbaası, 1974. Ankara, pp.102-105. Kosebay, Y. (2006). Anadolu Demiryolu Cevresinde Gelisen Mimari ve Korunması. İTÜ/Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, İstanbul. Turan, N. Strait, Beach and Highway. pp.49-52.