A metro line linking central Istanbul with Istanbul Airport has begun its trial operation with China-made vehicles.
The line, due to open next year, will be the fastest metro line in Turkey at 120 km per hour.
A subway train, designed and produced by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd., departed from Kagithane Station on the European side of the city to Istanbul Airport Station at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Monday.
As the train reached 120.75 km/h, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu, who took part in the test drive, announced in front of Turkey's main media that the train had set a new speed record for the Turkish metro.
Li Yangyang, general manager of CRRC-MNG Rail System Vehicles Industry and Trade Ltd. (CRRC-MNG), a China-Turkey joint venture, said the subway train showed high-quality performance in its stability, speed, and efficiency during the trial run of about 37.5 km.
On Jan. 15, 2020, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. signed the purchase and commissioning project contract of 176 subway vehicles for the Istanbul Airport subway line with Turkey's Directorate-General of Infrastructure Investments.
The contract requires a 60-percent localization rate in Turkey and a design speed of 120 km per hour.
The new subway line of Istanbul will meet the transportation needs of millions of local residents and tourists.
